Beyond the Summit
by RadioRegicide
Summary: After a highly successful Kalos League run, Ash and his friends receive an invitation to Hawthorn City in Johto before he can return home, offering him a shot at ultimate glory: a chance to win the coveted title of World Champion. Surrounded by friends and rivals Ash must see beyond the tournament and accept his greater destiny beyond being a Pokémon trainer. Slow AmourShipping.
1. Champion On Arrival

**Beyond the Summit**

* * *

 **I**

* * *

 _Champion On Arrival_

* * *

 **Ash Ketchum**

"We have now arrived out our destination of Hawthorn City Port on Grand Summit Island: home of the International." An automated voice announced over the ship's speaker system, echoing over the chatter of the crowd as gangplanks began dropping, causing the crowd on the deck to cheer. "The crew of the S.S Virgo would like to wish you an enjoyable stay on Grand Summit Island and remind you to please disembark carefully and remember to ensure and take all of your personal belongings with you."

Weaving and ducking through the assembly of zealous Pokémon trainers and fans alike, one young man in a dark blue jacket, red and white cap and blue cargo pants with a familiar yellow furred Pokémon atop his shoulder joined the rush for the solid ground.

"Ash, wait up please…!" At the sound of his name Ash tried to skid to a halt and turn to face who had shouted on him, but amidst the jostling crowd he stumbled as he was pulled along by the wave of bodies a little further before being jettisoned from the crowd and knocked aside when they hit concrete. Landing on his rear with and _oomph_ , the boy could only chuckle as he realised in his excitement he'd charged on ahead of everyone.

" _Pika pii…_ " Pikachu just shook his head in bemusement as he leapt from his partner's shoulder and looked up at him as Ash's three companions finally made it through the crowd and down the gangplank to join the pair.

"I know you're excited and all Ash, but rushing ahead and getting lost isn't going to help anyone…" the honey-blonde girl who had shouted on him before sighed in exasperation, shoulders sagging a little as she stood above the boy. She was dressed in her now signature pink and white dress, one hand clutching onto her hat as a sudden rush of wind threaten to pull it away from her, the ends of her red jacket fluttering in the dying gust.

"Sorry, Serena I guess you're right. I did get carried away just now." Ash chuckled as he took off his cap for a moment to ruffle his dark mess of hair before clambering back to his feet. "I mean it's not every day I get invited to the International - I guess it just brought out the over excited ten-year-old in me again. This is a huge opportunity for me. You too Clemont, right!?" Ash asked as he looked to the other boy, a shorter, bespectacled blonde who was dressed in a blue and yellow jumpsuit with a large backpack.

Clemont was doubled over and trying to catch his breath after the mad dash down the gangplank and could only wheeze in response before throwing up a hand to wave weakly. "See, Clemont agrees with me!" Ash grinned but Serena could only look on in exasperation whilst Pikachu shook his head – neither had the heart to correct the young man.

"Look at all the different kinds of Pokémon!" The shortest of the group, a young blonde girl dressed in a dark top with a dark ribbon, frilly white skirt and black leggings squealed in excitement as she jumped up and down on the spot as she pointed down the pier towards the island proper. The pier eventually connected with various others like it from which more people and Pokémon were pouring and beyond the docks lay a gigantic promenade that was supposed to circle half of the island. The concept of empty space was lost to the pages of history as people and Pokémon were just about everywhere as they mingled between the tourists-booths and stands with others sitting at tables outside of small cafes and restaurants whilst many lounged in the shade provided by the many trees or headed north-west towards the beach. Past the promenade, the island sloped upwards with several stone staircases leading up to the mainland.

"I've never seen so many different Pokémon in one place! I don't even recognise most of them!" Bonnie said as Dedenne poked his head out of Bonnie's yellow bag and squeaked his agreement. "Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting us come with you, Ash!" Ash could only blink dumbly as the girl grabbed his hands and danced around in a circle for a moment.

"Hey, your brother got invited to represent the Kalos gym leaders so it's not like this is all on me," Ash said as caught himself from toppling over when he finally stopped spinning as Bonnie hugged him around the waist instead. Clemont gave a weak sigh in the background, murmuring something about being unsure if he was ready for the challenge ahead. "Come on, Clemont the other Kalos gym leaders believe in you and so do I! You wouldn't be here otherwise!"

"I guess you're right," Clemont said softly before he looked down the pier as he adjusted his glasses. "We probably should get going. Because our invitations were so delayed in reaching us we barely managed to get here in time – and the tournament is supposed to start the day after tomorrow and registration for the tournament closes this evening."

"Right!" Ash agreed as Pikachu jumped back up onto his shoulder with a cry of: " _Pika Pii!_ " As if to say: _That way!_ pointing towards the promenade. "This is it, Pikachu!" Ash whispered to his partner, barely able to contain his excitement. "Just think of all the amazing battles that are waiting for us!"

Pikachu squeaked his agreement as the boy subconsciously stuck one hand into the pocket of his jacket where a rather crumpled slip of paper sat. The paper was, in fact, a letter of invitation addressed to him requesting he compete in the International.

The International being a tournament which extended far beyond a single region: a global event designed to bring trainer's together from across the world to battle for the title of _World Champion_. When the International had first been introduced several years' prior the idea had been met with heavy scepticism by many who didn't think such a large scale event could work as intended, but every year the tournament gained more and more momentum and the competing regions had expanded to included Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh Unova and even Kalos. He'd also heard rumours during the trip from Kalos to Johto that the Alola region was looking to officially join the ranks of competing regions despite still being in the process of creating its own Pokémon league.

After years of effort and hard work, Ash had finally been one of those coveted a hundred and twenty-eight slots which were delegated to Kanto and a part of him couldn't help but wonder just how many of the people he'd met on his journey would be competing. The idea of seeing old friends and rivals alike only caused his speed to double as he started thinking of who he might run into first.

In the end, it only took reaching an ice-creamed vendor near the promenade steps that led up to the main island to have his question answered.

"Now I could say that this is a pleasant surprise but a part of me knew I'd be seeing you here one day, Ash." Blinking dumbly, Ash did a double take at the familiar voice and turned to face a woman who had turned away from the vendor, his friend's catching up to him in time to follow his gaze to the woman of statuesque height with long, platinum blond hair that masked one side of her face and ran all the way down past her waist and sparkling grey eyes dressed in a pale sleeveless blue shirt and dark pants.

"Cynthia…!" Ash shouted in surprise, behind him both Bonnie and Serena seemed a little out of the loop but Clemont instantly recognised the name. The Sinnoh regional champion just smiled softly and nodded as she offered the young man the hand which didn't hold an ice-cream cone.

"It's good to see you make it here," Ash could only trip over his own words as he shook Cynthia's hand numbly. "You three must all be friends of Ash. My name is Cynthia and it's a pleasure to meet you all. Will any of you also be competing?"

"I'm Serena," the Vaniville Town girl bowed a little before shaking her head. "It's nice to meet you but no, I won't be competing. I'm not a trainer like you or Ash, I'm actually a Pokémon performer."

"I'm Bonnie," the short blonde spoke up, sticking her hand into the air and waving so as to grab Cynthia's attention, "and this here is Dedenne–"

" _Nee nay_ ," Dedenne greeted as he emerged from Bonnie's bag to greet the Champion.

"–And this is my brother; Clemont!"

"A pleasure…!" Clemont bowed repeatedly in quick succession out of respect and Cynthia could only smile.

"So Cynthia have you ever competed here before?" Ash asked and the blonde Champion nodded, smiling coyly.

"As the regional Champion of Sinnoh, I'm automatically invited for as long as I hold the title. Still," Cynthia paused for a brief moment, giving a rueful smile as she looked off into the distance for a brief moment. "Although he took a year to train Tobias has finally brought his Elite Four Challenge to its final leg and we're scheduled to have the championship battle nine weeks from now. So this could be my last International as the Champion of Sinnoh."

"You're really going to battle Tobias?" Ash asked in surprise as the man had all but vanished off the face of the earth after winning the Lily of the Valley Conference two years before. "Do you think you can beat him?"

"We'll just have to wait and see now, won't we?" Cynthia said in a teasing tone before bowing slightly. "I must say it's been lovely to see you again Ash but I must be off as I have _many_ things to do before the tournament begins proper. Best of luck to you and Clemont both, Ash– I know neither of you will need it, though."

Ash and his friends all waved their goodbyes Serena mused allowed: "She's really the Champion of Sinnoh? She's so pretty,"

"She's not _just_ Sinnoh champion," Clemont corrected as he adjusted his glasses, still a little in awe of the older blonde who had now disappeared into the crowd, "Cynthia is the two-time defending _world_ champion. She's one of a handful of Pokémon Trainers that's attended the International every year since its inception nine years ago."

"She's _that_ powerful?" Serena and Bonnie asked together.

Ash explained: "Her Garchomp is really something else. I saw it take down six Pokémon back to back in a full battle once without even breaking a sweat. That was nearly three years ago now. Who knows how much stronger it is now, and that's just _one_ of her Pokémon."

"So she really is the monster the rumours make her out to be…?" Clemont murmured and Ash nodded his head before smirking briefly. Just the thought of getting to battle Cynthia had him all abuzz with excitement as he envisioned the challenges that lay ahead of him in the coming days. "We should probably get going – I mean, it's only a little after noon but we need to register as soon as possible, Ash and find out where we're supposed to be staying."

"Right!" Ash agreed, pointing towards the nearby stone steps that lead off the promenade and headed inland. "That way guys…!" Dashing up the stairs with his mind set on getting registered for the tournament Ash almost tripped over his own feet as he looked out over the island before him.

The island dipped into a slightly basin which was split in two by a lake which rang down from the large mountain range in the east whilst at the very heart of the island, elevated on a small plateau of rugged stone and twisting stairs, sat a stadium of titanic size, larger than any Ash had ever seen. It was a huge dome-shaped building with a retractable roof and a pair of swirling bisected cone-like pillars made of glimmer glass standing guard over it with a second smaller sphere hanging over the dome between the peaks. Behind the giant stadium was a gathering of smaller ones much more familiar in design to Ash– almost like someone had lifted them from Mt. Silver.

The islands forefront was dominated by more rural structures like shops, restaurants and towering glass hotels that glimmered in the sunlight hotels and even a few massive shopping centres and even what looked to be a giant open-air swim park. In the south, there was a more isolated zone made up of large multistory cabins and a second, smaller dome-shaped building made of different coloured glass standing guard over them all. _Looks like a giant Poké Ball…_ Ash thought as the other caught up to him yet again after he'd charged on ahead.

"This place is really something else…" Serena said slightly breathlessly as she reached Ash – whether it was the view or all the running the boy didn't know.

"We're finally here, Pikachu - the biggest stage in the world! Just think about it," Ash turned to look at his partner for a moment before they both turned to look at the titanic stadium once more, "in a week or two we could leave that stadium as World Champions! Then everyone will know the name, Ash Ketchum! So what do you say? Shall we show the world what we're made of?"

"Ash come on, slow down!" Serena cried imploringly as she chased after the runaway Pokémon Trainer and his Pikachu with Bonnie hot on their heels. Meanwhile, poor Clemont, alone and forgotten, trailed behind the group in a futile attempt to keep up with the others.

"Why does it always have to be running...?" He bemoaned as he slowly trudged after the others.


	2. A Roast and a Grill

**Beyond the Summit**

* * *

 **II**

* * *

 _A Roast and a Grill_

* * *

 **Ash Ketchum**

It took Ash a grand total of five minutes to realise that for all his excitement he had absolutely no idea where he was actually going.

His lack of knowledge didn't stop him wondering around aimlessly in a vain attempt to find the Main Hub for a while, albeit brief. When the others eventually caught up to him again Ash apologised, rubbing the back of his head as Serena scolded him for running off. Still, she smiled, admitting Ash's excitement was infectious but they couldn't afford to get lost.

In the end, the group of four and Pikachu had taken a moment to catch their breath on an empty bench on the main boulevard as they figured out where it was they needed to go.

"Doesn't it say anything in the invitation, Clemont?" Bonnie asked as she sat down, kicking the air in front of her as she looked to her older brother who was once again doubled over in an attempt to take a moment's respite.

"Unfortunately all it says is that we're to register at the island's Main Hub, but it doesn't actually say where that is or tell us how to get there," Clemont said as he straightened up, adjusting his glasses as he spoke before looking around for something. "I'm sure there are signs or public maps of the island for tourists to buy around here given just how large the city is. Maybe we should have taken a moment to browse those tourists stands back at the promenade for a map…"

"What about the guide book Serena: does it say anything?" Ash asked as he sat on the benches edge, elbows resting on his knees.

"It seems like the Hawthorn City update for the Johto extension is still installing. We'll have to wait a little while longer. Sorry everyone," Serena said sheepishly as everyone looked to her, only for them to hang their heads in defeat as she held up the pink gadget, the word _Updating_ flashing on the screen in bold, bright red letters.

"We'll never find the Main Hub at this rate…" Ash bemoaned before his stomach cut in loudly with a low rumble that had the boy's face turn scarlet. "Huh, guess I didn't realise it was already time for lunch. We could always find a place to eat whilst we wait for the guide book to update, I suppose!"

It probably wasn't the smartest move given how both Ash and Clemont were on a clock, as they had to officially register before the Main Hub closed that evening but nobody was in the mood to argue as their own stomachs rumbled in agreement at the idea of food. So with a new goal in mind, the group set off down the main boulevard in search of a place to eat.

The wide street was packed to the brim with people shopping and enjoy the island before the tournament could begin with many of the benches and street corners occupied by Trainers and fans alike who eagerly exchanged stories and tips as they compared Pokémon and badge collections. It took the combined effort of both Bonnie and Serena to keep Ash focused and not let him wander off to stare at all the different kinds of Pokémon running around.

Clemont eventually found a bar and grill called _Lava Plume._ It was located on a quieter side street just five minutes from the main road; it was small in size despite being spread across two floors with close-knit tables and booths with a long bar that ran the distance of the entire back wall, the entire place designed to look more aged than it was with dark, hardwood floors and worn leather chairs. By the time Ash and the others piled in the cool breeze of the air conditioning was heavenly as the early afternoon sun had them panting with the heat. Even though most of the tables and booths were already occupied there was one booth big enough for them near the back next to the bar on the first floor.

A squat, older woman with wild, faded red hair, many freckles and a large, toothy grin approached them as they sat down. Dressed in a black shirt and jeans with an apron tied around her waist it was obvious the woman was a waitress and she introduced herself as Mary-Ann, the bar's owner and head waitress and offered the group menus before taking drink orders. Discussion over the menu was brief as everyone was quick to order. Mary-Ann sharply returned with their drinks and a declaration that she would return shortly with their food, a wide grin on her face as Ash ordered the grills largest burger. Thumping the young man on the back she announced that she would like Ash, given she loved a man with a healthy appetite.

"This place is lovely, what a great find Clemont!" Serena said as she looked around in time to see a large wide screen Television above the bar which was broadcasting a program called _The_ _International Download._ All the while poor Ash was trying to catch his breath after the blow to his back. "Ash check it out!" she said, pointing to the screen which everyone turned to see, eyes widening.

"–and even if he doesn't have a conference title to his name young Ash Ketchum still has a lot to boast about," a man's voice said as the picture of Ash and Pikachu rom around the time of the Lily of the Valley Conference minimised into the top right-hand corner of the screen. The speaker, a man with short and stylish blond hair with a fashionable goatee and dressed in a top of the line grey three-piece suit who carried a little extra weight that showed in his face was now facing the camera as he carried on. "Ketchum has no less than three top eight placements as well as a top four finish in various league conferences and has conquered the Orange League even completed the Kanto Battle Frontier. On top of all that, this year's Kalos league has just come to a close with young Ketchum taking second place in an intense battle. A mighty impressive resume for a seventeen-year-old. So whilst he might not look like much at first glance he's certainly got the potential to surprise a lot of people despite it being his first time at the International."

Ash could feel his face go red as Bonnie and Serena cheered and Clemont patted him on the back, a little gingerly after the earlier smack, announcing: "There you go Ash, you're famous!" whilst the show's camera panned away from the blonde man to a second man dressed in an equally expensive dark blue suit with short, well-combed salt and pepper hair and a neatly kept beard and light blue eyes. His legs were crossed as he nodded along with the words of his colleague.

"Thank you for that insight Joseph," the second man said before turning to the camera and nodding again. "Well, there you have it, folks, that was our very own Joseph Tully with some of his Trainers to watch in this year's upcoming International and with only hours left until registration closes and the opening ceremony tomorrow morning we are closer than ever to the first matches of this year's International." There was an intense cheer from just about everybody who was watching the show as a clock flashed into view – counting down the time until nine o'clock.

"Remember competitors that registering closes at exactly nine o'clock so hop to it if you haven't gotten around to it yet. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts you'd like to share with us then make sure to catch us up on social media using the hashtag _Download_ and we might read your comment out later in the show. For the time being though we'll be taking a short break and in case you're not here when we get back I'm Rivington Pierce and from myself and the rest of the International caster crew; we'll catch you on the field!"

Ash just turned back around in his seat as the screen faded to an advert for Sliph Co. Ultra Balls and pulled his cap down a little lower so as to hide his face.

"C'mon Ash, it really wasn't _that_ bad!" Serena said as she turned around to face him with a wide smile.

"I, uh, I mean I guess you're right," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head as Mary-Ann returned with their food, declaring that for a celebrity like Ash and his friends the meal was on the house. "I was kind of hoping not to draw too much attention to myself early on… although being a celebrity could be kind of refreshing if it means free food!"

Mary-Ann laughed heartily as she nodded her agreement, "That's the spirit kiddo! Not many are given an opportunity like this so even if it doesn't end well for you make sure to enjoy it to the fullest whilst it lasts! Now you lot be sure to shout on me if you need anything else!"

"Thanks, Mary-Ann!" The entire group shouted together and the bar owner laughed once more before she waved to them and turning away to see to some of her other patrons. Ash quickly set about inhaling his burger and fries as Pikachu quietly helped himself to packets of ketchup and some of Ash's onion rings.

Everyone ended up so engrossed in their food they never noticed some walk over to their booth, sneaking up next to Ash.

Eventually it was Serena who looked up to see the new arrival: a short, yet beautiful redhead with messy hair that curled upwards around her ears and bright sea-green eyes dressed in frayed denim short-shorts with hanging red suspenders and white and blue stripe socks which ran up to her knees, a baggy yellow t-shirt and white studded jacket. She was carrying a rather strange Pokémon in her arms: a blue, pinniped Pokémon and large floppy ears with a light blue ruff around its neck, eyes wide and dark whiskers with a bright pink nose.

Clearing her throat, the girl announced herself rather curtly: "Ash Ketchum, you still owe me a new bike!" Ash choked on his burger as his eyes went wide and his head wiped around, almost spraying food everywhere as his face went pale. Clemont had to slap him across the back once more in an effort to help him stop choking. The Pokémon in the girl's arms gave a bark of amusement as it clapped it flippers together.

Ash finally spin round in his seat, managing to wheeze out a shocked cry of: "Misty…! I– eh, what!?"

"The one and only!" Misty grinned as she bent down, placing the Pokémon of the floor so she could scoop up Pikachu in a tight hug as Ash scrambled out of his seat so as to greet his old travelling companion properly. The pair embraced as Pikachu jumped back onto his usual perch atop Ash's shoulder. "It's been a while, you dolt. You didn't visit me last time you were back home in Kanto!"

"Uh, I, uh, yeah. Sorry about that…?" Ash said, grinning weakly as they broke apart. Rubbing the end of his nose he added: "I guess I just got so swept up in planning for my next adventure that it slipped my mind. How have you been Misty? I mean, not that it isn't great to see you again, because it is, but what are you even doing here?"

"I'll have you know that I'm doing great," Misty announced bending back down to pick up her Pokémon again, feigning mock hurt at Ash's second question. "And what kind of question is that?" she decried as she looked away with a loud _humph_ as her Pokémon clapped its flippers together happily again. "I'm here to compete in the International, the same as you no doubt. In fact, this is my _second_ year representing the Kanto Gym Leaders so I guess it looks like I made it to the big stage before you did!"

" _Second_!?" Ash roared in embarrassment as his shoulder sagged and he hung his head. Looking back on it, it would be his luck that one of his former travelling companions would _somehow_ beat him to the biggest league of all. In the meantime, the rest of Ash's friends politely introduced themselves to Misty.

"Would you and…" Serena began before she realised she had no idea what the Pokémon was called.

"Popplio," Misty proved with a wide smile as she snuggled closer to the Sea Lion Pokémon, who blew a happy bubble in response, "this little cutie is from Alola region."

"Ah, well," Serena nodded as Bonnie gushed over Popplio, "would you like to join us for lunch? Serena finished, a little unsure if it was her place to ask. It felt a little strange actually meeting one of the many girls who had travelled with Ash before her, she'd heard about all of them but never really thought about what it would be like to meet one of them. Still, she was sure Ash would offer the invitation himself if he wasn't so busy sulking. "I mean I'm sure we can make some extra room for you to fit."

"That'd be great! But just so you know–" Misty began before she was cut off and another new arrival appeared at her shoulder. He was a tall man with a lean build and broad shoulders and with dark skin, bushy brown hair that shot off in every direction and narrow eyes dressed in baggy green cargo pants and an orange and black V-neck sweater and muscle top.

"You'll have to make room for one more!" The man spoke and Ash shook himself out of his funk as his face once again lit up with joy as he greeted the man with an enthusiastic shout of "Brock!"

The pair clasped hands in a firm shake before the older man pulled Ash in for a hug and ruffled Ash's hair through his hat for a moment. Misty roared with laughter at the sight as the young man from Pallet Town struggled to free himself and Brock grinned, nodding in greeting to everyone else present.

"Brock – air!" Ash said in a strangled tone of voice as he crushed in the bone breaking hug. "Air – I need it to live!"

"Whoops," Brock chuckled as he released his grip. "Long time no see, Ash!" The former Pewter City Gym Leader added as Mary-Ann returned with a cry of delight, pulling Brock and Misty into one of her own bone breaking hugs. The waitress quickly released them, swearing she still remembered their orders and that she'd get straight to it and that they could scrounge up some spare chairs from a nearby table that had been left vacant.

"So you're both old friends of Ash's?" Bonnie asked innocently as Misty and Brock pulled up chairs and the pair nodded, Popplio sitting on the edge of the table next to a rather befuddled looking Pikachu who didn't know what to make of the Water-type at first.

"We were both there for this dolt's rookie years. You would not believe all of the stupid things he did when he started out!" Misty smirked as Ash let out an outraged cry and everyone laughed as his face went the same shade of red as his cap.

"Admittedly I travelled with Ash for a lot longer than Misty," Brock chuckled as he leant back in his chair for a brief moment, his expression almost wistful. "But he and I parted ways for good soon after the Lily of the Valley Conference back in Sinnoh when I went home to Pewter City to open my own Breeding Centre and properly pursue my dream of being a Pokémon Breeder. I'm glad to see Ash has found some reliable friends to keep him in line."

"Hey come on, Brock I'm not _that_ bad!" Ash decried whilst Bonnie sniggered into her food and Misty looked away to hide her smirk. Seeing as no one was going to come to his aid, the Pallet Town boy resigned himself to defeat. "Besides if anyone needed someone to be kept in line it was _you_. A job I hope Croagunk is still doing."

"Uh–huh…" Brock said with a slight shudder at the thought of the Toxic Mouth Pokémon as Misty grinned in the Breeder's direction before Mary-Ann appeared with a large streak in one hand and a massive plate of ribs in the other.

"If you don't mind me asking, Brock but if you're a Pokémon Breeder does that mean you're here cheering on Misty and not actually competing?" Clemont asked from across the table. The blonde cupped his chin thoughtful, curious even.

"You could say that," Brock nodded as he took a brief pause from his steak to explain, "whilst last year I came to cheer on Misty and I made a bunch of friends who I rooted for I actually learnt a huge amount about professional breeding here as well. You see at really high levels of competition there's a certain pedigree expected of Championship Pokémon and I sort of ended up coaching Misty and helping her develop a lot of strategies last year when we pulled our knowledge."

"Brock's help was probably the only reason I made it as far as I did," Misty said without missing a beat as she inhaled another rib. "You see before I took over the Cerulean City Gym back in Kanto, it was run by my sisters after we inherited it from our mother and as much as I love all of them they are _not_ good at Pokémon battling. The Cerulean Gym has spent the last few years with a very bad reputation in terms of strength and quality as a result so a lot of people thought it was some kind of joke when I was elected to partake on behalf of the Kanto Gym Leaders.

"I've done a lot of hard work and training to try and prove the Cerulean Gym is a serious powerhouse," Misty added after a moment's pause, "and even though I barely made it out of the group stage I ended up proving I deserved my place here. This year is really about proving it wasn't a fluke and continuing to build on the foundation I laid for myself last year. I can't accept anything less if I really want to be recognised as a master of Water-type Pokémon."

"That sounds awesome Misty!" Serena said and Misty smiled at the kind words whilst Brock spoke in hushed tones with Ash.

"She's selling herself short." Brock murmured quietly so no one else would hear. "Misty did a great job last year and was only one round away from ranking in the top one hundred Trainers. She was the last Kanto Gym Leader left standing by almost three rounds."

"She did that well?" Ash replied, looking both impressed and a little envious.

Brock nodded: "She says I helped but the truth is her Pokémon are a different level from mine nowadays when it comes to battling so I wasn't much of a sparring partner. She's completely different to the girl we knew all those years ago, Ash. She's invested a lot of time this past year into training for this tournament, she even spent time in Hoenn and Alola. She'll be on an even higher level than last year."

"That's awesome," Ash said before he looked to the redhead, who was regaling Serena, Bonnie and Clemont with the stories of Ash's early adventures. "Misty, we should battle later!" he said, pumping a fist forward in challenge.

"A battle…?" Misty repeated, tilting her head to one side. "I don't know Ash," she bit her lip, "I wouldn't want to beat you so badly that your confidence shatters before the tournament even begins!" The challenge was accepted as she banged one of her own fists against Ash's outstretched one.

"Speaking of the tournament beginning," Clemont cut in before Ash could fire back across the table. "We should probably think about heading out again soon, Ash. The guide book should have finished updating by now and we still need to find the Main Hub and officially register."

"You're right, Clemont." Ash agreed, feeling himself deflate a little. Still, a friendly battle with Misty could wait a few more hours. Registering for the tournament was far more important.

"Misty and I can show you where the Main Hub is," Brock said as he looked to Misty who agreed with a nod. "We only arrived today and just came by to eat here before heading to the Hub ourselves. This was one of our favourite places to eat last year and Misty noticed you sitting over here when we came in, Ash."

"That'd be great!" Maybe he'd get to battle Misty sooner than he thought.

"You all remember that giant glass building that looked like a Poké Ball?" Misty said, pointing southward. "That's the Main Hub. Once you know what to find it's easy to get there. If we can catch a shuttle bus it should only take about ten minutes to get there depending on crowds so there's no rush right now."

Everybody seemed to relax at the news and with great food on the table before them and joy in their hearts the group of friends old and new set about finishing their meals as stories and laughter were exchanged as Brock and Misty made sure to tell the others as many embracing tales about Ash as they could remember whilst Serena and Bonnie made sure to tell them all about Kalos.

Ash could only hide behind the brim of his cap as he was torn apart by his so called friends, abandoned by even Pikachu who could only roll about the table in a fit of laughter as Misty brought up Primeape and the great many hat thefts. It was going to be a long few weeks ahead for him, but the boy from Pallet Town knew in his heart there was probably nobody else he'd rather spend it with.

* * *

 **A/N:** So Brock and Misty make an early appearance and won't be going anywhere quickly, they'll both be major supporting characters in the story ahead. Sorry if they aren't for you but I assure you the primary focus is the current members of Ash's party. A little exposition dropped here and there, nothing major at the moment as I get back into the swing of things. Yes, I am aware that Brock left to become a Pokémon doctor but I thought that was stupid as I'd spent years watching the show were his main goal had been to become a world class breeder and this is fan fiction so let me have this one. Until next time, peace out.


	3. From Yesterday

**Beyond the Summit**

* * *

 **III**

* * *

 _From Yesterday_

* * *

 **Ash Ketchum**

Misty's guess had been spot on, as Ash and his friends had finished their meals just in time to catch a departing shuttle bus bound for the direction of the Trainer's Village and the Main Hub. In his excitement, Ash had flown off the bus when it arrived outside the glass, Poké Ball-like building at top speed. Running like his lift depended on it.

It was with all the grace and skill of a rampaging Rhyhorn that Ash almost crashed into the front doors of the Main Hub when he finally reached them. The glass doors hissed open and slid apart to allow him entrance, leaving the dark-haired young man to cry out in surprise as he nearly tripped over his own feet and barely avoid crashing face first onto the cool black and white tiles.

His blunder of an arrival was met with a chorus of laughter from the other Trainers who were also present in the building's lobby. Even Ash himself found it in himself to chuckle at his own clumsiness as he straightened himself, dusting his clothes off. He really didn't know what had gotten into him, there was just something about the tournament that had him acting like an overeager rookie again but he couldn't find it in himself to really care about what others thought of him.

Looking up, Ash saw the Hub's central lobby was large but vacant space given how most Trainers competing in the International had probably registered hours, if not _days_ ago. All that remained was Ash and the other late arrivals. Besides the reception desk dead ahead of him (which was split into three different booths), and the pair of vending machines huddle against the back left wall next to a gathering of sofas and seats were various other Pokémon Trainers waited the lobby was void, just the circular corridor that ran around the entire building which was lined with different numbered doors that seemed to stretch on forever before twisting out of sight.

"As coordinated as ever," Misty murmured with a good-natured chuckle as she and the others followed him through the glass doors, Popplio clapping in amusement. Brock shook his head whilst Serena could only stare on in horror as everyone turned to look at their group, hiding her face behind her hands for a moment. Clemont could only sigh and hang his head whilst Bonnie giggled at Ash's antics.

After properly righting himself Ash noticed that of the three Nurse Joy manning the different booths one was unoccupied and he made a quick sprint over to her station, deciding he would let the jokes at his expense slide for now. "Are you alright? The pink haired nurse asked in greeting and Ash just smiled and nodded weakly as he took a moment to catch his breath.

"I'm here to register," Ash rasped, his throat completely dry after the sprint he'd just run. Digging around in his pocket he eventually managed to get his limbs to cooperate and waved around the invitation he'd been sent before slumping against the desk. Pikachu just hung his head in embarrassment before looking up at Nurse Joy with an expression that said: _See what I have to put up?_

Nurse Joy bit her lip for a moment, unsure whether to force the issue but eventually, she nodded and in a blink the usual trademark 'Joy-Smile' appeared, as Brock had so dubbed it many, many years ago. Taking the crumpled letter Ash had given her, Nurse Joy flipped the page to see a second document filled with all sorts of numbers, barcodes and jargon Ash would never understand. Turning her attention to the monitor directly to her right Joy began typing at a rapid-fire pace before tearing away a slip at the bottom of the second page and scanning it.

"Thank you very much, Ash," she said merrily as she handed him back the rest of the letter. "Now if I could have your Pokédex, please? It's so that we can verify our data is accurate when it comes to the Pokémon you own and officially register you for the tournament." Joy added upon seeing Ash's confused expression.

"Oh, right!" Ash chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head reaching for the inside pocket of his jacket. Nurse Joy took the device with care and nodded her thanks before placing the Pokédex on the desk and connected a cable to it so as to download the relevant data.

"This could take a few moments so whilst that happens I'm going to explain what will happen after we finish registering you." Nurse Joy said brightly as she clapped her hands together with a wide smile. "Behind you," Ash glanced over his shoulder to see past his friends the group of sofas to which Joy was pointing, seeing other Trainers gathered there or nearby, "is where you'll be asked to wait until it's your turn to receive your identity card and room assignment.

"You'll be asked to take a photo for your identification card which you must not lose as it's the only thing that will grant you access to all of the stadiums and training facilities free of charge. The identity card will also act as your room key to help minimise break-ins and will come with a login number and an entry password, which you'll be prompted to change the first time you log in if you wish to use any of the island's computers for research purposes and VOD reviews. Do you understand everything or would you like me to go over it again?"

"No–!" Ash shook his head vigorously for a moment before repeating, more calmly: "No, thank you. I understand. I think…" he trailed off so Joy couldn't hear him as he tried to commit everything to memory.

"Excellent!" Joy chirped as the computer dinged completion on its download as if to enforce her point. "Now one last thing; please be aware that the opening ceremony and group draws will be taking place first thing tomorrow morning and it's _mandatory_ that you attend. The ceremony will begin at nine am _sharp_ at stadium one so you will need to be there no later than eight thirty so as to be organised and instructed on what exactly you will need to do during the ceremony."

"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy!" Ash said as he took his Pokédex back with a large grin, swapping an excited look with Pikachu before slipping it into his jacket pocket. "Stadium one is the one at the island's centre, yeah?" Nurse Joy nodded.

"Yes, it is. Although most Trainers seem to call it the Thunderdome," Joy added with a smile but the reference was lost on Ash who just stared on with bemusement. Her smile weakening slightly Joy nodded her to the left, "there are some vending machines over there so you can get something to eat and drink whilst you wait for your identification card. It shouldn't be too long a wait at this point."

Giving one last thanks, Ash turned from the nurse and headed over to join his friends; well, Serena and Bonnie who now sat at one of the many sofas near the doors as both Misty and Clemont each stood at one of the other booths as they got themselves registered. It was then the young man from Pallet Town noticed Brock standing in front of the seating area with someone Ash had never seen before, but Brock seemed to know him given they shook hands in a friendly manner.

"Ash," Brock said, calling him over with a wave, "this is Nathan Strauss from Goldenrod," he added as an introduced, indicating to Nathan who now stood next to the former Gym Leader. He was slightly shorter than Brock, but an inch or two taller than Ash, with pitch black hair that was swept to one side of his face with sharp red eyes and a pair of Ekans bite piercings and some stylish stubble. He was dressed in a dark, long-sleeved jacket with red cuffs and trim and blue denim jeans with a glove on his left hand, an all too familiar stone set into the back of it and a single strap backpack slung over one shoulder. He couldn't have been more than a year or two older than Ash himself.

 _A Key Stone,_ Ash thought as his mind instantly wondered just what Pokémon the other teen might have that could Mega Evolve. He had to shake himself out of his thoughts though as Brock continued the introduction. "He was one of the Trainers Misty and I met last year."

"Ash Ketchum, Pallet Town," Ash said by way of self-introduction, extending a hand for Nathan to shake. The shake was brief but firm. Nodding, the Kanto born Trainer accepted that Nathan probably wasn't an overly talkative person, but he seemed perfectly relaxed.

"So do you still need to get your identification card?" Ash asked in an attempt to strike up some conversation with the new arrival as he awaited his own turn. Nathan shook his head. _Really isn't one for words, huh…_ but a second later, after fishing around in his back pocket the Goldenrod Trainer produced a thin, blue card much like a credit card which bore his name, picture and a serial number on the front which he flashed to Ash before shoving it back in his pocket.

"I had just gotten mine when you came charging in," Nathan said in a low tone of voice as Ash nodded sheepishly, looking over to where Serena and Bonnie sat in hushed conversation as they waited for everyone to finish up. "I saw some familiar faces so I figured I'd say hi and then be on my way. Prep-work and all that stuff before the tournament."

"Do you think you'll be up to hang out after the opening ceremony tomorrow morning?" Brock asked and Nathan nodded. "Maybe you and Ash could have a prep battle. I'm sure that'd be something to see."

"Yeah, should be," Nathan said before shrugging one shoulder. "And maybe… it'll depend on if they take forever to draw my group like last year and when my first battle is. I should probably go say hi to Misty and then be off. Who knows what trouble Dex might have gotten himself into with no one to keep an eye on him."

"You mean they actually let that second-rate hack back on the island after his performance last year? What a waste of an invitation," a voice behind Ash sneered. Brock went oddly rigid, his expression sinking into a deep frown whilst Nathan seemed to produce a Poké Ball from somewhere up his sleeve as though by magic, ready to fight at a moments notice. Looking over his shoulder the dark-haired Trainer saw a man in his early to mid-twenties, shoulder-length mahogany hair slicked back and dark green eyes, dressed in all black, with the exception of the dark teal jacket with a high collar and matching coloured boots, with an orange belt. Behind him stood a towering Empolean, taller than any other Ash had seen, its trident-like golden horns glimmer in the afternoon light, it's dark navy and white coat glowing with meticulous care.

"Loweshore," Nathan said icily as he clicked the central button of the Poké Ball he was holding, enlarging it.

"Strauss," the blonde smirked as he folded his arms over his chest. "I see you still insist on hanging around riffraff. You could do so much better if you weren't constantly trying to weigh yourself down with the dregs of trash you somehow seem to find everywhere you go. Although I suppose to Trubbish will always seek out more Trubbish to huddle together for warmth."

"Hey, who are you calling trash?" Ash demanded, his temper spiking already as this new arrival turned to sneer down at him, almost a full head in height between them, looking him up and down once before turning his nose up at him. Ash could only growl, Pikachu's cheeks sparked as he glared up at the large Emperor Pokémon who seemed all too eager to glare back.

"That's enough, Olly," Misty said as she and Clemont both approached the group. Her eyes were narrowed, clearly both angered by and uncomfortable because of the spiteful new arrival - even the cheery, if slightly absent-minded Popplio was glaring at the man. Olly seemed to catch Misty's gaze for a moment, his jaw twitching ever-so-slightly. But it seemed he recognised he was vastly outnumbered if he was to try anything. With a potential fight off the table he instead settled for giving Misty a venomous look that made the hair on the back of Ash's neck stand up before he sneered one last time at everyone else before he left, shoulders back and posture proud with a dark aura following him as his loyal Empolean flanked him like a great bulwark of feathers and steal against their many glares.

"Who was _that_ guy?" Ash demanded, still feeling annoyed, even though Olly was long gone from sight. There was just something about that guy reminded him a little too much of how Paul had been before the Lily of the Valley Conference and it rubbed him the wrong way.

"Oliver Loweshore," Misty said with a sigh, as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "a grade-A jerk from some place in Sinnoh who Brock and I met last year. It's better if you just stay clear of him, Ash. He's bad news and you'd be in a lot of trouble if you let him bait you into a fight outside of the tournament."

"That's being generous about it," Nathan muttered, minimising his Poké Ball once more before it vanished back up his sleeve. "Still, he's smart enough to know when he can't win and we should be grateful for that much."

Ash felt there was a lot more to it than that, but before he could really try and probe for some actual answers a fourth Nurse Joy stepped out of one of the small rooms off the main reception hall, calling Pallet Town Trainer's name. "I guess I'm up then."

With reluctance in his step, Ash turned away from his friends and Nathan and jogged over to the sullen-faced Nurse Joy who had called his name.

She led him into a small room where she seated him on a short stool before a white screen before asking him to remove his cap and have Pikachu wait with her for a moment. Unsurprisingly, Nurse Joy was less than impressed when she saw the mess that was Ash's hair and when the boy explained he had no brush to help tame it, she relented and allowed him to keep his cap on; more interested than doing her job quickly than correctly.

After several shots had been taken, he'd thankfully been allowed to stand up and pick the one which made him look the least awkward and five minutes later his card was handed to him. His card looked almost identically to the one Nathan had shown him earlier apart from the fact his was a red colour and when he flipped it over he saw an electronic stripe and space which contained a field labelled residence: _Oak Villa_.

Whilst this was happening the apathetic looking Nurse Joy quickly typed something up on her computer before handing him a large white packet and a smaller, matching envelope. "The packet is a designated beginner's guide to the International which all first-time competitors receive upon finalising their registration with us. It will explain the rules of the tournament's format, as well containing a leaflet comprised of frequently asked questions, their answers, a stadium map and other important information you will need to know."

"And, uh, this?" Ash asked, a little unsure as he slipped his identity card away into a jacket pocket and took the packet and letter.

"A letter from your sponsor." _Sponsor?_ Ash thought as he flipped the envelope over to see it was sealed with the crest of the Kanto Battle Frontier.

"I, uh, thanks." Ash nodded his head, bowing in respect quickly before vacating the room.

When he stepped back into the Main Hub's lobby, Ash tucked the large white packet under one arm and tore open the letter as he headed over to join Serena and Bonnie. It seemed that Clemont was currently getting his own card and Brock had been quietly talking with Misty when the Nurse Joy who had done his own card shouted on her.

Smiling weakly in his direction, Misty waved to Ash and the other girls as he joined them, leaving Popplio with Brock. Sitting down, the Kanto born teen pulled the letter out and flipped it open, but stopped for a second when he realised Serena was giving him a questioning look.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, clearly concerned but he just stared at her dumbfounded. Why wouldn't he be? "That guy earlier, he didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"Oh, that guy!" Ash said as his mind snapped back to earlier, frowning a little beneath the brim of his cap. "No, nothing happened but I guess he was giving off a bad vibe. Misty said he was a jerk and that I should stay away from him. I don't know the whole story."

"You think there might be bad blood there?" Serena questioned, looking over to the room which Misty had gone into so as to receive her ID card. "I mean that look he gave Misty was really something else."

"Probably a sore loser from last year," Ash shrugged one shoulder. Whilst a part of him really was interested in hearing the truth behind the tension earlier he had bigger things to worry about. "Besides," he added, thinking aloud, "Misty's a strong Trainer and an even stronger person. She can look after herself better than anyone I know."

Serena still looked a little uncertain but Ash offered her a confident smile and although she returned it weakly, she did return it. He reached over and grabbed one of her hands, giving it a light squeeze of reassurance. "It'll be fine." From his perch on his shoulder, Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"Okay," Serena said, smiling properly now, "just promise me that if that guy comes back looking for trouble you'll walk away, please." Ash gave her a look, almost insulted that Serena thought he'd let himself be baited into an easy fight. The pointed look gave him spoke volumes. " _Promise me_."

"I promise to be on my best behaviour." Pikachu gave a squeak of agreement, almost as if announcing he'd keep an eye on Ash.

Serena nodded content to let the whole thing go with Ash's promise. "So what's that?" she pointed to the letter in Ash's other hand, which he'd completely forgotten about after sitting down. Looking down he straightened out the paper and read aloud so the others could hear as Brock came over to join them:

 _Howdy Ash!_

 _Scott Reyes, here! It's been a while, but something tells me you'll remember me; I did offer you a job after all! But I digress, whilst I'm sure you aren't aware of the latest goings-on with the Battle Frontier I've certainly been keeping an eye on you over the years since we last met, as I do with anyone who defeats all of my Frontier Brains. So when old Charles Goodshow came to me and said he was looking for some recommendations to instal the tournament with fresh blood this year there was only one man I knew who'd be up to the task. You!_

 _Anyway, I pulled a few strings with the Pokémon League Committee when I found out you'd gotten the spot I recommended you for and since he can't be there in person this year Samuel agreed to let you and some of your friends stay in the villa usually reserved for him in the Trainer's Village in Hawthorn! Heads up, though, I'll be around and I may or may not pay you a visit at some point during the tournament. Brandon, Anabel and Noland will also be around so come and say hi if you happen to see any of us out and about before we see you but if you end up battling any of them you best give me the best battle you've got in you. Enjoy the surprise Professor Oak left you at the villa. Remember, my job offer still stands when you're ready. Go and give 'em hell, Ash!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Scott Reyes, Founder and CEO of the Kanto Battle Frontier_

Ash smiled at that, feeling a swell of pride rise in his chest knowing that even if it'd been years ago, Scott had kept up to date with his career. His letter also did confirm that some of the Frontier Brains would indeed be competing. He had a feeling they would, but given that the International was run the Pokémon League Committee there still a sense of uncertainty. He smiled at the thought of a rematch with any of the Frontier Brains.

"If you've got all the space of Oak Villa to spare Ash, I guess that means we'll get to be roommates again for a little while!" Ash wasn't sure if Brock was joking or not but a part of him didn't mind either way as he would have invited his old friend to stay with him regardless. The fact he was in a villa with spare rooms also meant he and Clemont no longer needed to worry about the rooming situation with Serena and Bonnie.

"Well that's something," Serena said, "I mean at least this way we all get to stay together right?" It was as though she could read his mind. After he nodded his agreement, Ash waved a hand in the air, signalling Clemont over who had just stepped back out into the lobby.

The blonde adjusted his glasses as he walked, flicking his yellow coloured ID over to read the back. Scratching his head, the bespectacled scientist turned to Brock; "Brock, since you were here last year you wouldn't happen to know where Oak Villa is? According to my identity card, it's where I'm meant to be staying for the duration of the tournament.

"I guess that's what Scott meant by pulling some strings," Brock said, before catching Clemont up on the contents of Ash's letter from Scott. Sliding the letter back into the envelope Ash decided to just enjoy the moment as the group waited for Misty and let himself fall into the conversation Bonnie had struck up with Brock as she sat next to her older brother on the sofas.

The conversation quickly turned into Brock doing his best to answer the young girl's rapped fire questions before she could bombard him with even more. Ultimately Clemont had to clamp a hand over his little sister's mouth, apologising profusely but Brock just laughed it off good-naturedly– assuring the Lumiose City Gym Leader that he was no stranger to younger siblings.

"Well then," Misty announced when she finally rejoined them, red ID card in hand, and earlier's run in forgotten as she took back Popplio from Brock. _Must be a region thing,_ Ash thought as the colour coding finally made sense. "It seems I'm bound for Oak Villa, and something tells me you guys are too." Everyone nodded, and Misty beamed. "Then let's go already!"

"It's not like we were waiting on _you_ or anything." Ash joked as he stood up, Misty waving him off with a sing-song declaration of: " _Details_ ~!"

"C'mon, Ash we've now got some time to kill before we really need to head over to the villa." Brock chuckled as he patted Ash on the back. "Why don't Misty and I show you and the others around the Trainer Village?" Bonnie let out an excited cry, running forward to grab Brock by the hand and pull him in the direction of the door; all too eager to see the island for herself.

"He has no idea what kind of monster he's unleashed, has he?" Clemont said in slight exasperation whilst Ash scratched the back of his head in bemusement and older girls shared a laugh. Still, Bonnie's excitement to see the wider world was infectious and it wasn't long before the others were off after the pair before they could land themselves in some sort of trouble.


	4. Pool Wars

**Beyond the Summit**

* * *

 **IV**

* * *

 _Pool Wars_

* * *

 **Ash Ketchum**

The main entrance to the Trainer's Village was a brief walk, a little over five minutes, down the street from the Main Hub. It was an overly gratuitous looking thing: a thick beam halved the two, towering black iron gates, painted white directional arrows pointing in one gate and out the other. To the right-hand side of the street was a small guard station, the door of which was open, one member of the security staff leant against the door frame, another in a wheelie chair faced him, slouched as they talked about something or another.

The one in the chair, a thin looking woman with dark curly hair and a mousy disposition pointed to the group as they approached and the one leaning against the door frame stood upright, turning and walking out to meet them. Both the guards were dressed in navy shirts, dark pants and white ties with heavy jackets, a walkie-talkie and flashlights hanging from their belts, The woman seemed to wear it better than her portly partner did.

The guard who met Ash and the others had a bald head which caught the light of the sun as he held up a hand before gesturing for something but his stone face expression gave nothing away. Blinking, the young man from Pallet Town looked to his partner but Pikachu just shrugged and they looked back together at the man hoping for an explanation.

Meanwhile, Misty handed over her identity card casually, adding: "Brock here it to be my permitted guest, could we get him the proper clearance, please?" Ash swapped a look with Clemont, who shrugged one shoulder before he fished out his own card and Ash followed suit.

The guard gave Misty's card a quick once-over before he flicked it over to read the back for a second; "Moving up in the world, Miss. Clearwater, defiantly an improvement over last year's lodgings." He said with a chuckle before he handed the card back.

"Of course, Stephen. I mean it was only natural the Pokémon League Committee recognised my talent," the guard, Stephan, gave a booming laugh as he wagged a finger at her, as though scolding her but his smile was too wide for it to be anything more than friendly banter.

"That's the go-get-em attitude we remember," Stephan barked as he looked over Clemont's card, then Ash's, "ain't that right, Sherry?" There was a noise from within the guard station that must have been some sort of agreement, seeing as Stephan the guard nodded his head in approval. "Right then. If you'll just step over to the station we'll get all your guests sorted out then, shall we?"

It was a good thing Misty had already been through this, Ash thought because if she hadn't been there to assure him that this was the last stop before they were free to do as they pleased, for the time being, he might have gone mad with impatience. After explaining that Serena would be Ash's permitted guest and Bonnie would be Clemont's, which meant they would also be able to come and go through the Trainer's Village at will just as if they were also competing, provided they signed in and out every time they did so.

It was ultimately a much quicker affair than registering for the tournament as Brock, Serena and Bonnie only need to take a quick photo for facial recognition purposes, before signing a waiver that was meant to be an agreement to obey the rules of the village whilst inside before each of their sponsors had to sign the slip as a guarantee of sorts. After that was all done they each received a coloured band with an electronic strip on the inside. Bonnie's was yellow, to match her brother's ID card but both Brock and Serena received red bands.

"Now the colour of the band is coded to one of the six regions," Stephen explained to them, even though Brock and Misty already knew it all, "this will help us narrow down the region you're 'host' belongs to in case of an incident. The electronic strips are just there so that when you pass through the gate a scanner can read them to make sure the bands aren't faked. We had a lot of issues with over-eager press and stalkers the first year of the International, you see.

"The bands are waterproof and you can take them off, just don't lose them because you won't be issued a replacement." _That seems a little harsh,_ Ash thought but he supposed it was a security thing and he needed to have some respect. "Now remember the most important thing about your time here: have _fun_ , kids!"

"Thanks, Stephan," Misty said and the portly man chuckled as they stepped out of the guard station and back onto the street. Stephan waved them off as they headed for the opening gates, only to do a double-take before shaking his head.

"Whoops, almost forgot," he said, turning around to shout something at Sherry, who handed him something from inside. He jogged over to Misty with it. "Before I forget, Miss. Clearwater, this letter was left for you to pick up upon your arrival."

"Stephan, when are you going to start calling me Misty like I asked you to _last_ year?" She chided the older man as she took the note and tucked it into the pocket of her jacket. Brock seemed to know what the letter was about seeing as he rolled his eyes when he and Ash both noticed Misty's cheeks go slightly flush – it wasn't like he _couldn't_ , Ash was just practised in noticing when he did.

"It's part of the job, Miss. Clearwater." Stephen shook his head, before adding, "There's a shuttle bus due in five or so minutes that's headed by the Kanto housing blocks if you want to go straight there. And remember there are shuttles that run between here and the stadiums every morning starting at half past seven with the last one returning around midnight. Miss them before a match and you're walking to the stadiums and believe me when I say you don't want to be doing that regularly. Unless you're a health nut that is." Misty _almost_ looked offended at the remark but took the ribbing in stride.

"Thanks a lot, Stephan," Ash said as he offered the man his hand.

Stephan nodded cheerily in response cracking a slight smile as he shook hands with Ash, "My kid's been a big fan of your's since the Lily of the Valley Conference so best of luck in the tournament, Mr Ketchum. Not that I think you'll need it!" Ash just mouthed wordlessly, a little surprised by the news of unknown fan.

Serena gave him a slight elbow, grinning at him as Stephan waved them off before turning back to head over to the guard station. "Look at you, Mr Bigshot." Ash could only laugh, rubbing the back of his head as Pikachu pointed forward with an excited: " _Pika...!_ " _Onward!_

The group complied without any further delay. The design of the main street was really something to behold, and it made Ash think of a bizarre cross between Ecruteak City and Alamos Town: with the buildings that lined the main street very much akin to the traditional architecture of Ecruteak with a few exceptions with large oak and pine trees and carefully designed flowerbeds and shrubs lining the road which put him mind of Godey's garden. One of the first visible buildings was a state of the art Pokémon Centre, larger than most Ash had ever seen with all sort of supply shops nestled on either side of it.

Most of the other buildings on the main street were restaurants, bars and an assortment of other shops from clothes to souvenirs meant exclusively for those staying in the village with a shuttle bus stop one either side of the road. Down the far end of the boulevard, there was a large grassy island which acted as a roundabout that fed into different roads, some that led to training facilities whilst others lead to the different cul-de-sacs which housed a ridiculous number of cabins and villas for the more exclusion competitors. At the centre of the island down the street was a giant water feature: a magnificent sculpture of Ho-Oh perched high above on a large stone with the three Legendary Beasts circling below.

"Wow," Serena whispered softly, looking around in awe.

"You said it." Clemont nodded his agreement, fixing his glasses for a moment. "I'll give the people that designed this place one thing; they sure know how to make a first impression." Ash had to agree, but seeing as he'd already travelled to Ecruteak City he supposed a little of the village's magic was lost on him. There was no need for him to take away from the other's moment though so he tucked his hands behind his head and settled into a walk a little behind everyone else as Brock and Misty lead them down the street, occasionally pointing a particular building out to them.

It seemed so strange, a part of him realised as they passed the large statue of Ho-Oh and the Legendary Beasts, to see his first travelling companions interact with his newest. It wasn't a bad feeling by any means, and it certainly seemed like everyone was getting along but he couldn't help but feel there was a gulf between the two groups. He was the bridge that connected them but by the tournament's end, he hoped they wouldn't need him to be that for them.

Any concerns he had over his friends getting along though was put to the back of his mind as they eventually circled the monument and headed down a continuation of the main boulevard, a sign posted at its entrance dubbing it the: _Royal Mile_. Turning to face the group, Misty threw up her arms: "Welcome to the Mile," she said with a hint of anticipation, "you can find just about anything here; from training facilities to a few shopping centres and even a few nightclubs and bars. Only the best quality stores on the island get to set up here, so anything you get here is guaranteed to be state of the art and top of the range.

"There's even a public pool that has a retractable roof so it can be both an outdoor and indoor pool depending on the weather," looking the others over she added, "I hope you all brought swimwear because you can even arrange to have a battle there!"Ash knew a challenge when he heard one, or maybe Misty was just calling him on the challenge he himself issued earlier. Either way, he'd never been one to back down.

"If you think battling on water will help then you're in for a big surprise!" Misty just smirked. "Lead the way, Misty. We've got a battle to get to!"

* * *

 **Serena Gabena**

It was the oddest thing, Serena mused as she, Clemont and Bonnie found a spare table near the pool's edge as they watched Ash and Misty talk excitedly before their battle whilst Brock spoke with the lifeguard who also seemed to be in charge of regulating the Pokémon battles that took place at the pool. The pool's roof had been lowered, and now the large oval pool was changing shape as walls rose from the floor, dividing the water and cordoning off a section of the pool far away from the wave machine and water slides that made for one heck of a water park down the other end. There was even a bar in the centre of the pool, with people sitting under the shade of the straw roof and drank their drinks whilst sitting on stools that rose out of the pool. Clemont mused aloud that the pool was probably designed to be have been used by Trainer's to battle without disturbing everyone else.

The afternoon sun glimmered on the surface of the water as the trio settled in to watch the showdown - far enough away from the edge so as to not get soaked by any wayward water but close enough to still have an excellent view under the shade of their tables umbrella as a poolside waitress wondered by, asking them if they wanted anything to drink.

As it turned out Misty wore a white and blue one-piece swimsuit which had her name running down one side beneath her normal clothes, completely none plus as she casually stripped down to the one piece on the pool's edge before tossing her clothes to one side, recalling Popplio to its Poké Ball for the duration of the battle. Ash on the other hand just pulled off his jacket and t-shirt before rolling up his jeans to his knees and kicking off his sneakers and socks, seeing as none of them had thought to bring swimwear. Through it all, Ash's cap did not budge from the top of his head.

Serena had to hide a blush with the brim of her own hat when Ash had jogged over to join them for a brief moment, asking her if she'd look after all the discarded clothes and Pikachu whilst he and Misty battled. Serena had struggled to not combust as she desperately avoided eye contact. Even Brock eventually pulled off his sweater and muscle-tee as several large foam pads were set into the pool, each of the three friends taking one with several smaller ones floating around on the surface of the water.

"Ash didn't even ask you to referee, Clemont," Bonnie said as she turned to look up at her brother, almost disappointed by the fact. Clemont didn't respond right away, instead, he looked thoughtful for a moment as Misty and Ash shouted back across the battle section of the pool, trying to decide on what kind of battle they would have, settling for a simple one on one in the end.

"I don't think that matters all too much, Bonnie," the older blonde shook his head, pointing out to the trio in the pool, "I mean these are people Ash hasn't seen in a very long time and it must mean a lot of to him to be able to spend time with them like this. I don't want to begrudge him that. Still, though-"

"-You can't help but feel a little jealous of Misty and Brock." Serena finished for him, and Clemont blinked in surprise, before nodding in agreement. "I mean, they're both really nice and all but hearing all those stories at lunch made me realise there's just so much to Ash's journey I know nothing about. I mean he was there for nearly all of my major firsts, but I had no idea what even most of his were. And-"

"-These are the people he shared all those wonderful memories with. You just feel rather out of place next to them." Clemont nodded again and Serena looked over to meet his gaze, it seemed as though they'd both been thinking the exact same thing. It was a little hard to feel entirely comfortable around the Kanto trio. They all just seemed so in-sync with one another, and they bounced off each other perfectly. It was like standing outside, looking in at someone else's home wishing you could go inside but the door was locked and there was no key to be found. She was truly jealous of their bond. "We should do our best to enjoy ourselves and the tournament. After all, this might be the last time we're all together like this for some time."

Something inside Serena suddenly felt heavy as her shoulders went rigid with the revelation being spoken aloud. It was no real secret that Ash had planned to return to Kanto following the events of the Lumiose City Conference but no one had dared to speak of it. In fact, the International had been a blessing in disguise, it afforded them more time together. And when the tournament came to its inevitable end she, Clemont and Bonnie would most likely bid fair well to Ash as they all went their separate ways.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie demanded, looking upset by her brother's words.

"Bonnie, I think we need to face the fact that Ash was never going to stay with us forever," Clemont said quietly, his expression pained as he couldn't hide that it was hard for him to say what needed to be said. "We've had a wonderful year together, one of the best ever, but it was never a secret that Ash planned on going back to Kanto after the Lumoise City Conference finished. It's just how these things are sometimes."

"But - no! No, I don't want Ash to leave!" Bonnie said, looking about ready to burst into tears at the thought of their friend, the unofficial older brother to both the Lumoise City siblings.

"I don't want him to leave either," Clemont assured her as he pulled the girl into a hug, "but it would be selfish of us to try and make Ash stay for us when he has so much more to accomplish out there in places where we can't follow him no matter how much we want to. Even when Ash does leave we'll still have each other, and it's not like our bond with Ash will suddenly vanish; we'll always be friends and nothing will change that. We'll always be there for Ash, whenever he needs us, and I'm sure he'll be there if we ever need him."

Serena could only look sideways at the siblings as they hugged before sharply turning away. It felt wrong for her to witness such a tender moment between the pair. Looking down, she stared at the top of Pikachu's head for a moment as something occurred to her: her time with Ash really was in short supply. It was precious and she needed to make the most of every second she had left - make something special of it.

" _Pii_..." Pikachu seemed to sense something shift in her mood as he looked up from her lap, head tilting quizzically. " _Pika pii_?" Hugging the Pokémon close to her chest, Serena turned to smile at Clemont and Bonnie. They were going through the same thing she was and she needed to be strong for them. There would be a time to say goodbye, but she couldn't let herself think about that right now. Right now what she needed to do was enjoy every last moment of what time they all had left together and she would cheer Ash on with everything she had.

"Go on Ash, you can do it!" Serena shouted at the teen's back as she threw up a hand and waved her support, Bonnie joining in her cheering. There was no time like the present. Ash just looked over his shoulder at them, trademark grin in place as he shot them a thumbs up before grabbing a Poké Ball from his belt.

"Alright, Misty," Ash shouted across the pool, as he enlarged the Poké Ball in hand and threw it into the air, "I challenged you so I'll go first: Greninja, I choose you!" The large, bipedal, frog-like Pokémon dropped down onto one of the foam mats with graceful ease. Rising from his three points landing the Ninja Pokémon folded his arms over his chest, his long, pink tongue billowing out behind him in the breeze as all of Ash's current travelling companions and Pikachu gave a cheer at the sight of the blue and yellow Water-type. At the sight of Misty, Greninja narrowed his eyes, ready for battle.

"Now that's an interesting looking Water-type Pokémon," Misty grinned, as reached down to a belt she had tied around her waist over her one-piece, grabbing an ordinary looking Pokéball. Ash just grinned as he waited.

"She can tell Greninja's a Water-type Pokémon just by looking at it?" Bonnie asked aloud and Clemont nodded.

"I suspect it's partially down to the fact she admitted to being a Water-type specialist and Greninja's amphibious traits are hardly subtle," Clemont said, making an educated guess. It must have been a Gym Leader thing, Serena guessed figuring it would make sense for someone who specialised in a single type to be trained how to spot new Pokémon of their chosen type. "That and I think Misty guessed Ash would use a Water-type against her to truly test himself. It's the kind of thing he would do."

"Alright, Ash catch us if you can!" Misty challenged as she threw the Poké Ball into the air, it split open and unleashed whatever was within into the pool with a _sploosh_ as the water ebbed and flowed for a moment. But there was no Pokémon in sight. Even as everyone craned their necks to try and gaze beneath the surface there was nothing to be seen.

"I don't get it," Bonnie said, speaking Serena's thoughts aloud as everyone's eyes darted across the surface of the water. "Where's Misty's Pokémon?"

"It's somewhere," Clemont said in a murmur as he adjusted his glass, leaning forward in his seat. "It's quite possible that Misty's Pokémon has a way to blend in with the surface of the water making it almost impossible to see. Or-"

"Or it's capable of moving at insane speeds in water without causing a visual disturbance on the surface." All three turned to see that they were now joined at their table by another girl with pale blonde hair pulled into a single long ponytail and bright blue eyes framed by her bangs. She was dressed in an airy red and white, semi-pleated dress with black biker shorts and a large red backpack on her person as she lifted her red and black shades to sit atop her head. "What, not what you were thinking, Clemont?"

"Korrina!" Everyone shouted together and even Ash looked away for a brief moment to give a surprised wave to the latest familiar face.

"Hey guys, mind if I watch with you?" Korrina laughed, gesturing to the empty chair as the others recovered from their shock.

"No actually, that's exactly what I was thinking," Clemont said as Korrina took the empty seat. "Truthfully neither option is exactly enjoyable for Ash. He and Greninja are really going to need their wits about them for this battle, something tells me Misty got a lot to show us and we haven't even see the Pokémon she plans to deliver it with."

"Ash will win," Serena said with a confident nod, of that she had no doubt.

"Go get her, Ash!" Korrina shouted, pumping a fist into the air. Another thumbs up and the Pallet Town trainer turned back to face his old travelling companion properly. "This is going to be a tough one. I can't wait!"

And in that moment, Brock officially declared the battle underway before the surface of the water broke as Misty's Pokémon came rocketing out of the depths to face Greninja head on.


	5. Riding the High Tide

**_Beyond the Summit_**

* * *

 ** _V_**

* * *

 _Riding the High Tide_

* * *

 **Ash Ketchum**

 _Gym Leader Misty would like to battle!_

The thing that burst out of the water could only be described as a large, metallic-looking, ten-pointed purple star with water glistening on its spinning form, a bright red gem at its core surround by gold plating which now pulsed with power as the ends of Starmie's pointed form began to glow a pale, eerie blue colour. With a hum of power, the strange energy shot from the tips towards the core which gave siren-like shriek before it flashed the same pale blue and a spiralling beam of energy burst from the core and crashed into Greninja at high speeds.

Whilst the foam pad rocked in the suddenly disturbed water for a moment, Greninja seemed utterly unaffected by the attack which had hit him head-on as Starmie dropped back into the pool with a loud _splash_. "That was a nice Psychic, Misty," Ash shouted, as his confidence found him: not only had Misty attacked first and revealed her Pokémon to be her faithful Starmie, she'd used an ineffective attack which meant she hadn't realised Greninja was also a Dark-type Pokémon. "Shame it didn't work."

"Don't get cocky now, Ash - I've seen you make the same mistake plenty of times!" Misty shouted back, but even with the distance between them, he could see a shadow of frustration in her features. "Just because I didn't realise your Pokémon was part Dark-type doesn't mean this is over." Still, even if Misty had unknowingly put herself at a disadvantage there was no denying that Starmie was wicked fast- it emerged from the pool and disappeared into it again in the same blink of an eye. _Time drag that thing out of the water,_ Ash thought as he began scanning the surface. Whilst Greninja was Water-type, they didn't actually battle on a field like this often and Misty did it for a living. They needed to do this above the water to truly be at their best.

 _Any type advantage I have means nothing if I can't_ see _Starmie whilst it's in the pool, let alone actually land a hit._ How it could move so fast without distributing the water was beyond him. No, there was no way it was moving that quickly, was it? He was missing something. "Greninja, we gotta find that Starmie so get down there and show it who's boss!" Greninja nodded his agreement before flipping back into the pool with the water rippling out in all directions. Yet there was still no sign of Starmie: no sign of a high-speed Pokémon's course being altered by the sudden disturbance of the water. "Greninja, I've got an idea. Let's make some ripples with Cut!"

The Ninja Pokémon gave a muffled grunt of agreement: it couldn't find it in calm water then they had to stir up the pool and slow it down for a moment and catch it then. With a forward thrust, a glowing needle of energy sprung into existence as the water suddenly turned choppy and Greninja turned to swing behind him in a downward arc with the needle and the water began to rock harder. Eyes darting back and forth Ash instinctively checked over his shoulder only to see the sudden current of water seemingly crash against and move around something he couldn't see instead of hitting the edge of the pool. _There it is!_ "Greninja, it's at the back of the pool- use Aerial Ace to close the gap!"

 _It was never actually moving anywhere, it must've been using Camouflage to blend into the water!_ To think Misty had actually figured out how to utilise the move in such a way was amazing, but it seemed like Starmie could only do so whilst remaining still, which in a huge pool of water was no real hindrance at all to the Mysterious Pokémon. Turning back to look down in time to see Greninja's right leg glow a light blue before he flew across the pool in the direction of the now visible Starmie, Ash couldn't help but catch the eye of his opponent for a moment but the Cerulean City gym leader just smirked at him.

"Let's take them for a spin Starmie, Psychic again!" Misty countered as the distance between the two Water-types quickly closed.

"That won't work on Greninja!" Ash shouted, almost a little unsure of himself as he did so. He'd never considered Misty to be stupid by any means, although he used it as insult many times during their petty arguments when they were younger and Brock had spoken so highly of Misty's development as a gym leader and trainer, so what was the play? She _knew_ Psychic wouldn't work, didn't she?

"It _will_ on the water, though," Ash's eyes went wide with panic as the water suddenly went from clear as day to an all too familiar eerie blue, the foam mats suddenly began to dip and sink as the water began to rock and a giant maelstrom suddenly formed in the pool's centre, dragging everything towards it, even pulling Greninja in as Ash was thrown off of his feet as hit mat rocked. "Okay, release!" The world only stopped spinning for a brief second before everything lurched again as a sudden burst of water shot out of the pool's centre, throwing Greninja into the air and crashing down onto one of the resurfaced mats.

As Ash tried his best to stand back on shaky legs on a wobbly, flimsy foam mat he was pretty sure he heard Korrina shout out behind him: "That was awesome!" In the same instant, Starmie came spinning out of the pool to float by Misty.

"Damn, I really didn't think about you trying something like that, Misty," Ash said running a hand through his now soaking wet hair, hat lost to the waters for now, as Greninja stood back up, a fire in his eyes at the thought of a worthy opponent. They were both still raring to go it seemed.

The stronger the opponent the better the eventual victory would be.

"Thanks," Misty winked at him from across the way, "although we can't take all the credit. Starmie and I have been working on the Maelstrom technique for a while now and doing it calm water takes way too much energy to be practical, but you lent us a hand by starting that commotion with Cut and got a current going." _Damn, even though my idea worked and told me exactly where Starmie was hiding she flipped it right back around on me. Now, this is what I'm talking about._ He was soaked and admittedly a little cold after the dousing he'd just gotten, but his heart was pounding and the adrenaline was pumping. It was time to kick things up a notch.

"Let's do this, Greninja!" Ash shouted, unaware of the crowd that was now watching the battle with unwavering attention.

" _Gren_!" The Ninja Pokémon hissed as he copied the fist his Trainer was making before a sudden burst of water shot out from beneath him and a column of water swirled around Greninja before he shot into the air whilst Misty could only take an almost panicked step back. She looked at him for a moment, almost as though looking for an explanation of sorts. When he gave none her face hardened as she did her best to refocus.

"Get back into the pool, Starmie!"

"Not so fast!" Ash cried as he threw one fist forward, "cut them off with Water Shuriken, Greninja!" And as the order reached him, the water veil surrounding Greninja broke, spreading out like wings before it the water reshaped into a giant X-shaped shuriken on the Ninja Pokémon's back.

" _Gauugh_!" Geninja gave a cry as he reached over his shoulder, grabbing one point of the four-pronged shuriken before throwing it in midair with all his might, his form casting a looming shadow over the pool. Starmie was fast enough that it had long since moved from Misty's side, but the projectile still caught it mid spin before it could return to the pool. The Mysterious Pokémon was sent spinning through the air as Ash brought both arms up in front of his chest in an x-formation, the Ninja Pokémon copying him a new shuriken appeared on his back.

"Cut, Greninja! Let's keep the pressure up." Ash yelled at the top of his lungs as everything but the battle faded away. Across the pool, he could see Misty shake of her look sudden shock at Greninja's vastly increased speed as she looked more determined than ever to win.

"You know Ash, for a part Dark-type your Greninja really doesn't seem to have any Dark-type moves in his arsenal and it will cost you!" Misty cried as she pointed towards the bright blue needles in Greninja's webbed hands. "Rip those needles out of Greninja's hand and return to sender, Starmie!"

" _Berrugh_!" Starmie buzzed as its core glowed an eerie blue once more before Greninja's pair of needles were pulled from his grip and then thrown back at him at high speed.

"Dodge the attack with Double Team!" Ash ordered to counter the counter and in a blink, the pool was full of dozens of copies of Greninja, some landed on the foam mats whilst others crashed into the pool. At the end of the day, all that mattered was the Cut needles crashed through a clone of the Ninja Pokémon before hitting the water and disappointing. Ash let out a sigh of relief he hadn't realised he was holding. Having his Pokémon hit by his own Cut attack could have turned nasty - especially given that the needles had somehow grown in size when Starmie snatched them before throwing them back. But the whole thing had given him an idea.

"Maelstrom technique again, Starmie - let's flush out the real one!" The water suddenly became unstable again as the pool chopped and turned as a great twister of water suddenly rose into the air, erasing all of the clones and leaving only the real Greninja, who stood atop the raging water with his arms folded. Almost like he was mocking the other Water-type. "Drop it!"

"Greninja, use Cut and then throw them like kunai!"

"What!?" Misty shrieked as she watched from a rocking mat as Greninja rode a cut needle down the wave of crashing water down like a natural born surfer, all the while producing more pale blue needles which it threw at Starmie, then a third followed by a fourth and a fifth and finally a sixth. Whilst the Water/Psychic-type under Misty's orders had valiantly thrown two of the needles of course with Psychic, there were too many projectiles for the weakened Pokémon to catch all at once.

"Thanks for the idea, Misty!" Ash waved across the pool, but his glee was short lived as the water glowed a pale, yellow light and a moment later Starmie came spinning out of the depths, looking complete unharmed by the barrage of Cut needles. _Recover,_ the Pallet Town teen cursed himself for being so stupid as to forget such an obvious move. Of course, Starmie would know Recover as a way to bounce back from the sheer amount of energy it would take to turn calm water into a raging maelstrom using nothing but Psychic.

A moment later Greninja shot back out of the pool and onto the mat next to Ash. " _Ninja._ " _Strong._

"You got that right," Ash nodded his agreement. It seemed as though they had reached a standstill or sorts. Misty was right, Greninja's lack of Dark-type attacks was starting to hurt them seeing as the battle was going nowhere fast. Starmie was indeed fast, faster than most Pokémon Ash had seen, but Greninja was faster but any hit they landed could be negated by Recover whilst Misty and Starmie hardly had any effective moves themselves. "Let's put an end to this quickly, with Recover they'll outlast us so let's not give them a chance to use it."

" _Gren?_ " _Plan?_

"Water Shuriken, Greninja and follow it up with an Aerial Ace!" Ash said as he pointed towards the Starmie that hovered on the mat in front of Misty. With a rush of air, Greninja vanished in a blur of blue, red and pink as before his trainer knew it, the Ninja Pokémon was halfway across the pool, glowing hand reaching for the Water Shuriken slung across his back, which he threw with a cry of: " _Nin-ja_!" before diving after the attack, pulling one fist back so he was ready to strike.

"Grab that Shuriken with Psychic and buzzsaw that wannabe ninja!" There was no time for either Ash or Greninja to react, they were already committed to the assault and the Water Shuriken that had been thrown at the purple shaped star suddenly stopped inches from impact, before it began to spin the other way at insane speeds like a giant water saw. The Ninja Pokémon crashed into his own attack with a cry of surprise and Ash could feel the sudden sting that ran diagonally across his chest, from hip to shoulder, as Greninja forced himself through the spinning water and smashed as clenched fist against Starmie's glowing red core.

The impact caused Starmie to lose control of the spinning shuriken locked in its Psychic grip and when both became unstable the explosion of water flew everywhere as both Pokémon were thrown back across the surface of the pool. Ash himself felt like someone had sucker punched him in the gut as he staggered back to the edge of the mat. Clutching his side he looked up to see Greninja perched on the edge of the mat closest to him whilst Starmie floated above one not far away, its core blinking red at a rapid rate.

Taking a steady breath, Ash found his balance as he stood upright, in-sync with Greninja as the pair stared at their respective opponents. It looked as though Misty could see the same thing he could, both Pokémon probably only had another round or two of attacks in them - although Starmie had done little actual damage on its own, turning many of Greninja's supercharged attacks back on it was certainly leaving its mark. When his oldest travelling companion smiled at him, he felt a surge of pride: she was enjoying this battle just as much as he was. Maybe even more.

"Alright, Misty we're not done yet!" Ash cried, both hands curled into fists at his side as he put one foot forward whilst Greninja mimicked him. "So I hope you're ready for another round!"

"Bring it on, Ash! Starmie and I aren't going anywhere!" Starmie buzzed in agreement as it back star spun furiously, almost as if challenging Greninja to attack it.

"Jump up and use Water Shuriken, one last time!" Ash said as he punched his fists against one another as his Pokemon jumped high above the pool once more. Grabbing the latest shuriken from his back, Greninja let out a loud battle cry as he took the spinning blade of water in both hands and threw it with all his might at the Mysterious Pokémon.

"Tear right through it with Rapid Spin, Starmie!" Misty punched the air in front of her as both parts of Starmie's began to spin before it became a blur, flying into the air like a great, demonic purple Frisbee which tore the Water Shuriken to shreds as it hurtled ever higher.

"Meet Starmie head-on with an Aerial Ace!" Ash roared as he refused to back down.

The two Pokémon connected with a resounding boom as the Aerial Ace struck Starmie's core first thanks to Greninja's greater reach, causing the Mysterious Pokémon to tilt and strike the other Water-type across the chest at an angle.

"Greninja!" Ash shouted in concern as his chest burnt again and the two Pokémon become locked in a grapple as they plummeted towards the pool, Starmie still spinning and struggling against the Ninja Pokémon as he struck down, with Aerial Ace again and again on any part of the spinning purple star he could reach. When the two finally hit the pool the sudden rush of water knocked Ash from his mat and into the pool, Misty meanwhile barely kept her balance.

Everything was an upside-down, watery blur for a moment before Ash figured out which way was up and he dragged him back to the surface against the still churning waters. His head broke the surface and he took in a sharp breath as he let himself sag against one of the foam mats, propping himself up with his arms as his feet still kicked in the water below. He craned his neck for a moment, trying to see where either of the Pokémon were whilst Misty did the same. A second later, in the exact same moment Greninja clambered back onto dry land, or rather a foam mat still looking to be in fairly good health all things considered and Starmie rose from the depths of the pool to float on the surface. The light of its core was dim and its metallic form bobbed on the still rocking water, motionless.

Brock threw up one hand; "Starmie is unable to battle. Therefore the winners of the battle are Ash and Greninja!" From the foam mat he clung to, Ash managed to give Greninja a thumbs up as a sudden roar caught his attention and he looked over to see a huge crowd had gathered to watch the battle. Looking up he could even see the large screen which had been streaming the International Download earlier was now showing the battle he and Misty had just finished.

Misty just let out a weak sigh, sinking to her knees as she hung her head for a moment. But she was up again a second later, diving into the pool and swimming over to Starmie, who had regained some form of consciousness. "That really was a great battle, Ash. It looks like you've come a long way since we last battled way back when," she said, swimming over as the Mysterious Pokémon floated alongside side her, buzzing at Greninja, dipping into the water almost as if bowing in respect.

Greninja bowed his own head as the Ash-Greninja form faded, clearly impressed by the resilience of the other Water-type. " _Nin gren-greninja_ , _ja_." _We'll battle again, worthy star._ Ash just chuckled at the sight, trying to grab a Poké Ball from his belt whilst staying afloat in the water. "Thanks, Misty. It means a lot to hear you say that," he eventually managed his goal and pulled up Greninja's Poké Ball, returning him to its confines. "You did great Greninja, take a nice long rest for now. You sure did earn it."

Misty likewise returned her Pokémon, muttering words of encouragement to it before Ash grabbed his wayward hat from the pool water and both friends swam back to the edge of the pool and clambered out, soaking wet but in high spirits. _Man, that battle had me really fired up, I kind of hope Misty and I get to have a full battle during the tournament._

"What _was_ that, though?" Misty demanded, looking to him now the battle was over. "I mean, I might've never seen a Greninja before but do they all change like that mid-battle? Where can I get one?"

Ash could only laugh as there was a loud splash in the pool behind them before Brock clambered out to join them, also dripping wet. "Not exactly," he admitted he turned to look and see the others, Clemont and Korrina were engaged in a conversation, probably about their thoughts on the battle and Serena, Bonnie and Pikachu ran over to them. "To be honest I'm not really sure what it is, all I know is that whenever we take that form Greninja and I seem to sync up and he becomes even stronger."

"Well, it sure is something special," Brock said as he cupped his chin, "I mean last year Misty and I both found out about the whole Mega Evolution thing but this didn't look exactly like that. You didn't use a Key Stone, did you? Would it be alright with you if I maybe take some time to study this new form Greninja has, Ash?"

"Talk to Clemont, he's probably the closest thing to an expert on the whole thing." Ash shrugged as he greeted Bonnie and Serena, Pikachu jumping up to sit on his shoulders. "Good thing I have spare clothes, right?" Serena opened her mouth as though to say something, but in the end, she let it go and settled for a weak smile as she shook her head in amused disapproval. Then she suddenly lunged forward and gave him a fierce hug.

"You were great out there," she said softly before pulling away, "I knew you'd win." When she finally pulled away there was a noticeable pink hue to her cheeks, probably because she too was now soaking wet.

"Hey, Ash," he turned away for a second to see Misty had pulled on her jacket, clothes under one arm and shoes at her feet, she tossed himself and he instinctively stepped forward to catch it. "That one you won fair and square, and don't let _anyone_ tell you any different." Confused, he opened his hand to see a badge in the shape of a water droplet set into a small silver circle with blue trimming and a clasp on the back. An updated Cascade Badge. He looked to Misty for a moment, who just winked and offering a victory-V as he closed his grip around the badge again.

Back when they had journeyed through Kanto together, Misty had probably been his most vocal critic. At the time he had hated it and never really appreciated what she was trying to do for him, he just thought she was stomping all over his victories out of spite to do with her precious bike. When she had once challenged him about the legitimacy through which he had earned most of his badges he'd been furious. But this was Misty's own Cascade Badge and although their battle had not been an officially sanctioned one, he understood what this really was. It was the highest mark of respect she could offer him. Earning her badge the _right_ way.

He had finally earned her full approval and respect. Well, maybe not entirely but that was for another day to determine.

Before he could properly thank Misty for the badge a man with a microphone and camera crew at his heels appeared in front of him, pulling Misty into position next to him before ushering everyone else away. "That was one heck of a battle guys, and we got it all on tape!" he said in assurance, despite the fact neither of them had asked such a question. The reporter was a man in his late twenties, dressed in a fine dark shirt and pants, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows and his tie a little loose and fluttering in the breeze as his waistcoat was undone. He his hair was short and neat, and he had bright baby blue eyes and a boyish smirk, a tattoo of a Pokémon Ash didn't know on the inside of his right forearm. "The name's Kobe Martin. Mind giving us a quick interview for the tonight's Trainer Spotlight on the Download?"

Ash swapped a look with Misty, something told him they didn't have much of a choice.

"I, uh, sure...?" And so it began.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sure that's not the best battle you guys have ever read but this was always just meant to be good practice for what's to come - which I felt it was. I was originally going to cut back and forth between Ash and the others so they could give some running commentary on the battle but I felt like it screwed with the pacing a little too much given the whole point of the battle was how focused Ash was on it. As you might have gathered though I tend to write my battles by the rule of cool than being technical about it, I mean it's fan fiction, might as well have fun with it. That being said I will make a push for more strategic battles if there is enough demand for it. Until next time, peace out.


	6. Mum's the Word

**Beyond the Summit**

* * *

 **VI**

* * *

 _Mum's the Word_

* * *

 **Serena Gabena**

The interview which Ash and Misty had been asked for had been surprisingly brief. Kobe Martin had seemed very polite and professional even despite his obvious interest in the Ash-Greninja form, he had not neglected Misty during his questioning and praised her intuitive use of Psychic to control the pool's water. Serena would later learn Kobe Martin was actually not an interviewer by trade but instead, something called a Colour-Caster for the _International Download_ commentary crew, meaning it was his job to study and break down every moment of a Pokémon battle and analyse it as it happened alongside the play-by-play commentary.

When the camera was turned off and the boom-mic lowered, Kobe shook hands with both Ash and Misty, in turn, wishing them the very best in the upcoming tournament before departing alongside his camera crew which meant they were all free to go. So the group of friends new and old, half of whom were soaking wet set off in search of Oak Villa.

Korrina had joined them for a brief period, excited to talk with both Ash and Misty about their battle and what they'd been thinking throughout the whole thing. In the end, the blonde asked more questions than the Kobe Martin did. Admittedly Ash had some questions of his own for Korrina as they departed the pool, mostly concerning how things had been since they had last battled one another.

"I'm one of the four gym leaders elected to represent Kalos this year, alongside Clemont," Korrina had said proudly, pointing at herself with her thumb, basking in the glow of the achievement for a moment. "Wulfric's around here somewhere too, haven't seen him yet and Viola is hanging out with her sister and the International Download crew last I heard." _So Wulfric and Viola are here as well?_ Serena thought as she trailed slightly behind Ash, Misty and Korrina who were leading the group back down the Mile towards the main entrance to the Trainer's Village. Bonnie was next to her, excitedly watching everything pass her by as Clemont and a still soaking Brock brought up the rear. From what Serena could overhear they were mostly discussing the Ash-Greninja form.

"I mean, every region gets eight of slots to assign among their gym leaders, elite four and the regional champion however they choose," Korrina spoke and Ash nodded, shooting a glance to Misty who confirmed it with her own nod. "Every region does it differently from what I hear but this year Kalos sent four gym leaders, three of the elite four _and_ Diantha. We're looking to take home the big prize!" There was a slightly awkward pause concerning the fact there were only three of the Elite Four, but no one lingered on the topic.

"Good luck getting it before me," Ash boasted with a laugh. "But that reminds me, which other gym leaders are here from Kanto, Misty?"

"Well, me, _obviously_ ," Misty said teasingly, "but we only sent three gym leaders and Sabrina is one of the others after missing out last year because of scheduling conflicts. I heard the third is the new Viridian City gym leader, but I haven't met them yet and the only elite four members competing on behalf of Kanto are Lorelai and Bruno. Kanto doesn't have an official champion at the moment so the extra slots just went to other notable trainers - seeing as Lance and Koga are both competing for Johto."

The conversation continued as the three turned to speculating the gym leaders who might be competing on behalf of the other regions. As it turned out Misty was sure the person who had eliminated her last year, a gym leader from Hoenn by the name of Norman Maple would also be competing again. That revelation seemed to spark something in Ash who also seemed eager to challenge the man called Norman. When the group excited the Mile though, Misty said they had to go right, whilst Korrina needed to go left.

"I'll catch you all tomorrow," Korrina waved as wheels sprung out of her shoes and she skated away from them, twirling around she added as a shout: "Let's meet up after the opening ceremony and talk strategy!"

"Later Korrina, we'll see you tomorrow!" Ash had yelled in his own way of saying yes before everyone else waved her off. Turning to follow after Misty and Brock who were now leading the group now, Serena smiled as she stepped into line next to Ash as he chatted animatedly with Bonnie about all of the wonderful Pokémon the two of them had seen that day, Ash pulling out of his Pokédex so the young girl could flick through it and show him all of the Pokémon she'd never seen before.

Walking around the back of the breath-taking monument that acted as the centrepiece of the Trainer's Village entrance Serena could hear Ash tell Bonnie that the large bird was known as Ho-Oh, one of Johto's most famous Legendary Pokémon. The other three Pokémon were also Legendary Pokémon from Johto, but Serena missed their names.

In the end, the group set off down the first road on the statue's right, heading north-east down a road lined by towering trees and well-kept shrubs before the road took a sharp right turn again and led them onto a street was known as The Kanto Row. The Row, as it was known by everyone, according to Brock, was the housing area of the Trainer's Village dedicated to trainer's from the Kanto region and was made up of many different sized cul-de-sacs, some of which were mixed together with some of the Johto housing areas.

It was only a brief ten-minute walk down the Row before the group reached a T-section with a shuttle bus stop across the street and a pathway leading up a slight rise, looked over by an archway that led into a cul-de-sac that looked to be smaller than the others they had already passed.

This cul-de-sac was made up of only four larger villas that sat in a squashed oval formation. They were all grandiose looking things, multiple stories tall and made of shining white stone. Serena could hear Ash let out an impressed whistle as everyone else was looking from villa to villa with awe. Each was unique in its design and put all of the wooden cabins they'd passed up until that point to utter shame.

"That's the champion's villa," Misty said, pointing to the largest of the four villas, a four-story titan of a building that sat on a small hill with a cobblestone path and white steps leading up to the front door. Made of darker stonework than the others and large sections of clear glass with a water feature made to look like a Charizard stood not far from the front entrance. There was some irony in that, Serena was sure.

"They really went all out…" Clemont said, his tone somewhere between someone who was impressed and someone who thought it was all a little bit too much.

"Well the first ever world champion was from Kanto," Brock rubbed the back of his head, still he seemed to be in agreement with Clemont. "I guess it does come with bragging rights and the biggest villa on the island. But," he added, turning to point out the building on the far left, the smallest of the four. "that there is Oak Villa."

Like the other three villas, it was grand in size and luxurious in design but the white stonework and glimmering glass seemed somewhat more muted than the others in Serena's opinion. It looked to be a three-story building with a well-kept front lawn guarded by waist high bushes and a cobblestone path that led up to the impossibly large front door made of dark oak.

"Well, let's go!" Ash announced as he pumped the air with his fist. The group as a whole seemed to follow him onwards and upwards to the path to the villa. Given the situation, Serena couldn't help but look over her shoulder, a little nervous that someone staying in one of the other villa's might see them and think they were trying to break in. Their rag-tag group of six did look awfully out of place.

Nothing of the sort happened though as the group huddle together under the shade of the overhang in front of the large door, almost as if waiting for it to magically open on its own accord. Ash was the one who eventually stepped forward and pulled out his ID card from his back pocket, placing it against the door's scanner. With a _click_ and _beep_ , the door unlocked and Ash pushed the handle down and let it swing open. All the while, Bonnie was leaning around the side, peeking in through the glass that framed the door, trying to make out more of the inside.

Shuffling in one at a time, Serena was floored by the place: the living area was a wide open space with dark hardwood flooring and white painted walls with light fittings that ran along the inside of the walls. A grand staircase made from the same wood as the floor was built into the wall on the far left, no bannister in sight, instead little light fittings lined the edges leading the way. Looking up the Vaniville Town girl noticed large light fitting hanging from above and that the stair led to part of the second floor which hung over part of the seating area like a balcony with several doors and other corridors leading further back into the villa and stairs carried on up to another floor. The centre of the room dipped into a large square pit which had little steps leading down into it with many of the comfiest looking white leather sofas and chairs, along with a large pouffe, Serena had ever seen. A television even, somehow, seemed to notice their presence and rose out of a stand in the seating area. A pair of large arches, one across from the main door and one to their right, led off into different parts of the villa, the curtains used to divided them currently pulled shut.

"This really _is_ a step up from last year," Misty muttered loud enough for everyone to hear whilst Brock let out an impressed whistle, patting Ash on the back.

"Now I remember why I travelled with you for all those years," he said jokingly, "the perks never get old." Ash just shrugged off Brock's hand and rolled his eyes, looking to explore further as he stepped away from the group.

Everyone seemed to follow Ash's lead as they branched off from one another to go and inspect elements of the villa that intrigued them. Serena herself was drawn towards the arch opposite the door, peeking through the curtains and around the corner she realised it was actually an impressive kitchen and dining room combo. The hardwood floor turned into a cool dark grey stonework and the walls became black and sleek to contrast with the white of the counter tops and silver of the appliances. To the right side of the room was a large circular table made of mahogany with creamy leather seats.

There were also some glass doors that looked to lead out into the back garden and a wooden deck. But the glass doors were open, if only ajar.

 _That's a little strange…_ Serena thought as she approached the doors with a hint of caution, wondering if perhaps someone had broken in before they'd gotten there. When she pulled the doors open properly she was hit by the sound of conversation and turned her head to see a pair of people talking animatedly with one another.

The first was a young man around Ash's age who was leaning against the railing of the deck, his wild auburn hair spiked out every which way, dressed in a baggy black t-shirt and purple cargo pants with an unbuttoned, short-sleeved green flannel that matched his eyes. The other was an older woman sitting on a sun lounger, probably in her late thirties, with light brown hair which she'd pulled into a simple bun under her large straw sunhat with a yellow ribbon that matched her knee-length sundress. Her deep blue eyes seemed to light up at the sight of Serena.

"Looks like the old saying is true!" The young man announced as he pushed away from the railing, smirking. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear!"

" _Gary_ ," the woman scolded him with a gentle fondness as the young man laughed walking past Serena like she hadn't even been there and called inside: "Ash! We're out back, get your butt out here already!" Much to Serena's eternal embarrassment, the announcement was met with an audible crash before Ash came flying outside, the young man named Gary artfully sidestepped a possible collision and let his old rival trip over his own feet.

"Gary!?" Ash announced, apparently shocked as he caught himself on the railing before he could fall, turning to see the woman in the sun lounger he seemed even more shocked: " _Mum_! I– the, I, ugh? Eh!" Ash's mother merely smiled as she stood up, her son scrambling to rush over and give his mother a hug. There would have been a time, years ago when Delia Ketchum would tower over her son, being a surprisingly tall woman, but now her boy had grown up and stood a full head taller than her.

"I didn't know you were here!" Ash sputtered, looking embarrassed as he and his mother separated but Serena was surprised to see that Ash's mother looked at her son with a hint of motherly disapproval, but her smile was wide and welcoming as she looked to the young Pokémon Performer with a teasing wink. "You must have been the surprise Scott said Professor Oak left!"

"Ash Ketchum, why are you all wet, young man?" Serena hand to cover up a laugh as Ash's face went bright red in the same moment everyone else piled out of the glass doors. Mrs Ketchum didn't let her son flounder for long however as she hugged him tightly once more, before turning to other familiar faces. "Brock, Misty! It's so good to see you both again." After she hugged both they met the same disproving tone Ash had as Mrs Ketchum demanded to know what on earth was it that they had been doing to get so wet.

What followed was the formal introduction as Ash properly introduced his mother and childhood rival to his friends from the Kalos region. Truthfully Serena vaguely remembered both of them, but it'd been so long that she was honestly a little surprised that Mrs Ketchum actually seemed to remember her quiet well. Gary, however, did not remember her in the least – which honestly came as no surprise as they had never really interacted during the brief time they'd shared as children.

As everyone filed back into the dining area Mrs Ketchum was quick to make sure everyone who was wet was sent off to have a shower and clean themselves up whilst she made a start on dinner. Ordering everyone else to go and find a room to call their own for the foreseeable future and make themselves at home. As she did so, Gary announced that she wouldn't need to make anything for him as he was going out to meet with someone, a rather lecherous hint in his tone as he shared a grin with Brock, and wouldn't be back until late so no one was to wait up for him.

Gary shouted his goodbyes from the living area, yelling that he had already claimed the attic bedroom and Mrs Ketchum had the master bedroom on the ground floor but otherwise it was free pickings as far as the rooms went. And so they all set off to find rooms and clean themselves up before dinner. It seemed after such an excitement filled day, it was finally time to relax.

* * *

When dinner came it proved to be a wonderful experience.

After many of the group had taken turns to shower and clean up, changing into more comfortable clothes they gathered in the large living area of the villa, the _International Download_ playing at a low volume in the background. An interview with the Johto Champion, Lance Pendragon had just finished playing when Serena descended the stairs and joined the others, just as Mrs Ketchum had announced that dinner was ready.

As it turned out Mrs Ketchum was quite possibly the best cook Serena had ever met and whilst her own mother was far from an awful chef there was no real competition. Even Clemont had been salivating over the ' _Pepper and Spicy Beef Stew_ ' Mrs Ketchum had served the group, much to Ash's delight. Brock had nothing but praise for the dish, claiming Mrs Ketchum made it better than he ever had or would. Of course, humble Mrs Ketchum had reminded Brock that as the owner and head chef of Pallet Town's most popular restaurant making food was what she did for a living.

The conversation had been thick and plentiful as Ash took the opportunity to sit next to his mother, regaling her with his many adventures in Kalos in great details: with someone, usually Bonnie chipping in whenever Ash exaggerated his deeds. Much to his mother's amusement. Meanwhile, Brock and Clemont seemed to have forged a fast friendship as they continued their conversation about the Ash-Greninja form before moving onto Brock's breeding endeavours and even some Clemont's inventions.

At one point Serena had needed to fight hard not burst out laughing when Bonnie had turned to Brock, and with a straight face asked about advice when it came to finding her older brother the perfect bride. Poor Clemont had looked about ready for the ground to open up and swallow him as he shrunk down in his seat: bemoaning that Bonnie's excitement over coming to Johto and the International could only distract her from her quest to find him a bride for a day. Brock, on the other hand, had been all too eager to oblige the little girl's request for help and they had sunk into hushed whispers.

Serena herself had spent much of dinner watching the others, perfectly content. It was odd: earlier a part of her had been so afraid of what it meant for Ash to be reunited with these people that knew him some much better than she, Clemont and Bonnie did. But now it felt natural for _her_ to be there too. She couldn't speak for the others and whilst maybe she hadn't quite figured out what her position in this new, larger group might be, she was certain she had one.

Around the time Mrs Ketchum had stood up, collecting everyone's plates with the help of her Mr Mime, Misty, who had sat next to Serena throughout dinner leant in after she finished telling Ash the story of how she had caught Popplio in the Alola region. "So what is it that you do?" she asked, and Serena blinked, a little unsure how to answer. "Sorry. What I meant is that Ash told me earlier that you're a Pokémon Performer but we don't have those in Kanto so I was just a little curious as to what it is you do."

"Oh, well," Serena began, feeling a little flushed that Misty would be so interested in her. "As a Pokémon Performer, I'm hoping to become Kalos Queen." Of course, at the time, Misty had no idea what that meant. So, Serena had explained it all in _great_ detail. The Cerulean City Gym Leader didn't seem like the kind of girl who would be too interested in Pokémon Performances, yet she had been so polite and listened with rapt attention the entire time Serena had babbled on. The redheaded girl was even smiling by the end, nodding her head as the last of her questions were answered.

"You'll have to give me a demonstration before the tournament ends," Misty had said as she turned away for a moment, reaching across the table to accept the pieces of home baked cake Mrs Ketchum was passing in the girl's direction. Turning back to pass Serena her own plate, she added: "I mean the way you talk about it makes it sound so magical and whilst the closest thing we have to Performances in Kanto are Pokémon Contests, I'm sure there are lots of other regions out there who do."

Serena hadn't really said much after that, her brain firing of a thousand thoughts-a-minute as she took tiny bites of her cake.

Was it really that simple?

Could she just up and leave Kalos and everyone she knew behind her? But what about her mother? The title of Kalos Queen and Palermo's offer to tutor her when it came to being a Performer?

Well, she was pretty sure she was going to turn down Palermo regardless of what she ultimately chose to do. Thinking back on the talk she had with her mother right before the group had left for Johto, Serena agreed with her mother that accepting Palermo's offer would make Performing like Rhyhorn-Riding; scheduled and regimented - it would no longer be fun and spontaneous. She'd lose her own way of doing things and go straight back to what she hated.

But what about Bonnie and Clemont? Was the potential to stay with Ash really worth it if it meant giving up the other two most important people in her life aside from her mother? No. Not even close.

"Hey, Serena, you okay?" Someone asked before gently shaking one of her arms. Snapping out of her thoughts, Serene turned her head to see Bonnie stood next to her seat, looking up at her with a hint of concern in her expression, her hands still resting against her arm. "You spaced out for a while there. Everyone's moved over to the lounge."

Serena just smiled before standing up, giving Bonnie a fierce hug. "I'm fine. That's a promise." Looking over to the others she saw Ash slouched against the back of one of the two-seater sofas, cap pulled down over his eyes and Pikachu curled up next to him whilst Clemont and Brock shared the other two-seater, the former diligently checking over their information pamphlets whilst Misty grabbed the armchair and Popplio was curled up on her lap.

"Clemont convinced Ash they should take some time to learn how the tournament format actually works." _Probably for the best,_ Serena agreed with a nod, grabbing Bonnie's hand.

"C'mon, let's go join them," Serena said with a mischief smile as she tugged on one of Bonnie's hands, pulling the giggling girl along behind her.

"Come on, Ash," the blonde boy said as he adjusted his glasses as Serena and Bonnie joined them, sharing the large square pouffe between them. Bonnie sat snuggled between her legs as she used Serena as a resting post, but the older girl couldn't care as she listened to the others talk. "I know you don't want to read all this, but they gave us all this information for a reason."

"But Clemont," Ash moaned like a four-year-old would, "it's the Pokémon League Committee, how different can the tournament bracket be compared to every other tournament I've competed in?"

"Very," both Brock and Misty said together, Ash winced at disapproving tones.

Clemont let out a long breath as he seemed to recoil away from the page he was reading. "Get a load of this, Ash."

Reluctantly Ash pushed the brim of his cap back up as he sat forward on the leather sofa and watched Clemont lay out some sort of diagram onto the glass coffee table. To Ash, it seemed to mean _something_ but to Serena it looked like utter jargon. The way Bonnie titled her head in confusion seemed to suggest she was more in line with Serena's understanding than anyone else's. "Double elimination bracket system!?"

"Yeah, listen to this," Clemont added as cleared his throat as Serena tilted her own head to one side, still trying to make heads or tails of the example bracket system sheet. "The first round of the tournament is a round-robin group stage, with one competitor from each region in every group." _So that's a hundred and twenty-eight groups of six,_ Serena thought, wondering how she hadn't gotten that from the diagram. "Each battle will be a best of two format, meaning each Trainer will use two Pokémon. A point will be awarded for each knockout a Trainer scores, and in the event of a two-oh then the winner will be awarded a bonus third point. After the group stage comes to a close, tiebreakers will be played if necessary to determine rankings as sixth _and_ fifth place are automatically eliminated from the tournament."

"That's harsh," Ash murmured, taking his hat off to ruffle his hair, "what about first through fourth?"

"First and second are seed into the upper bracket," Brock explained from his position, and Serena guessed this was where things got complicated given Clemont's expression. "Each group's first place seed will be randomly matched against the second seed of another group. The upper bracket consists of five rounds, all of which are full six-on-six battles, with the losers of each round dropping into the lower bracket instead of being eliminated. After the fifth round ends there are eight Trainers left in the upper bracket and they qualify for the Victory Tournament and become a part of what's called the Elite Sixteen."

"Third and fourth place from each group will go straight into the lower bracket were a loss will mean elimination," Misty added, taking over for Brock. "That was where I ended up after getting fourth in my group last year. The lower bracket consists of _ten_ rounds which will eventually see the other half of the Elite Sixteen crowned and proceed to the Victory Tournament. I got knocked out in round five of the lower bracket last year – one away from the lower bracket six-on-six battles and a top ninety-six finish."

"No pressure then," Ash said with a slight whistle. "They're putting a lot of emphasis on performance in the group stage then."

"What makes you say that?" Serena asked, not sure if she should feel stupid for having to ask such a question.

"Securing a top two finish in groups gives you a huge safety net," Clemont explained as he adjusted his glasses, Brock and Misty both nodding. "It means you have a little room for error. All of the upper bracket matches are, as Brock pointed out, full six-on-six and given there are a _lot_ of Type-specific specialists here, getting a counter-match-up could be tournament ending under normal circumstance through nothing other than type-advantage."

"But with a lower bracket to drop into it means one bad six-on-six is not tournament ending because you got screwed over by the draw," Misty spoke up, given that she was more than aware of the circumstances. "It's all about trying to make sure the sixteen who make the Elite Sixteen really are the best sixteen Trainers on the island and not somebody that won because of the whole rock-paper-scissors that is the typing system."

"Lower bracket don't get full six-on-six until the _sixth_ round," Ash repeated as though he hadn't heard the earlier comment, and Serena could have almost sworn she heard him curse under his breath. "The first round of the lower bracket is literally a one-on-one and fourth place from the groups must reveal their Pokémon first, meaning getting third place is huge for a lower bracket placement as it offers the chance to counter-pick your opponent."

"That's not the hardest thing though," Brock said, drawing the focus onto himself again. "the group stage is known as the Adaptability Test for a very good reason. Each Trainer play's their group matches over the course of two days, making for four days of group play in total due to group numbers, and you register exactly ten Pokémon for the group stage and can only use each of those Pokémon once. Pokémon can be repeated in the event of a tie breaker but having such a narrow pool of Pokémon that only gets smaller the longer the group stage goes on is _intense_ as it makes every single choice super meaningful."

"Why would they do something like that?" Serena asked, looking for an explanation. "I mean that's utterly brutal, right?"

"That's the _point_ ," Ash said in a low hiss, but his expression was not one of anger, but burning determination. "You can hardly call yourself World Champion if you can't be flexible and show diversity among your Pokémon. It's like Misty said, the entire format is designed to make the best shine through, I mean if you only have a handful of strong Pokémon you'll never make it out of the group stage."

"And if you somehow did," Clemont added, looking serious, "you won't exactly last very long in the lower bracket. It's why everyone has the rest of the day after the opening ceremony before groups start to prepare. To make sure they lock in ten powerful Pokémon without overplaying their hands in the group stage and revealing their trump cards."

"Will you three be alright?" Serena was now highly concerned for both of Ash and Clemont and her new friend, to be honest when she had heard about the tournament she assumed it would be just like the Pokémon League in Lumiose City.

"I'll be fine," Ash waved her off, "I've got plenty of strong Pokémon all raring for a crack at this tournament. I know Charizard is itching to go and Sceptile is something else. Snorlax could also use a good exercise." Clemont nodded his agreement but looked much less certain than Ash did.

"Thanks to the experience I gained last year and all the training I've done over the past few months as long as I dodge the group of death I should be fine," Misty said, although it was without the usual confidence Serena had been getting used to hearing from her.

"Group of death?" Bonnie repeated, looking confused as to why on earth a group would be called such a thing.

"A group of death is a group which is unusually competitive," Clemont said, looking up from the stadium map for a moment, "it's usually because the number of strong competitors in the group is greater than the number of qualifying places available for the next phase of the tournament."

"If I'd been drawn into the group before the one I actually got last year," Misty said, shuddering at the thought, "I'd have been in one of the two group of deaths that got drawn last year. I'd have been in the same group as a regional Champion, an Elite Four member, another gym leader and some really high profile trainers coming off of conference title wins."

"That was a bloodbath," Brock said softly, remembering the group. "they had tiebreakers going on until nearly three in the morning. Last year's other group of death had Cynthia in it although that didn't really slow her down. People thought the group would be incredibly close and she stomped everyone else in it. People started calling her the Executioner as a result."

"Cynthia sounds scary," Bonnie commented thoughtfully, but when Serena looked down she seemed almost giddy with the idea of watching such a powerful Trainer.

"She's actually pretty relaxed," Ash said, scratching his chin, "but when she battles it's something else. Who'd she beat for the title last year, anyway?"

"Steven Stone," Brock said with a nod as said man briefly appeared on the screen, the International Download still running muted in the background. "Most of the other regional champions got eliminated over the course of the Victory Tournament, Lance got fourth place, his lowest ever placement, and third went to some guy from Johto neither Misty or I met last year. He was one of the higher profile Trainers that wasn't an Elite Four member or a Regional Champion."

"Sounds intense," Clemont murmured before looking back to the example bracket with a queazy looking expression.

"Ash will be fine, right?" Serena found herself asking without meaning to, when everyone looked to her she felt her face go hot.

"Out of the three of us I honestly think Ash has the best odds of going far," Clemont replied offhandedly and Misty seemed to begrudgingly agree. "I mean, for all my knowledge and experience if people start throwing Ground-types at me I'll be in some trouble."

"You'll be fine, Clemont!" Ash said as he waved him off, pushing the brim of his cap out of his face. "Let's just relax tonight. It'll be the last chance we get for a while." Everyone, including Serena, looked oddly at Ash, almost as in disbelief that he of all people would say such a thing. "Hey –!" he cried, looking offended, "I'm more excited than anyone but stressing out over it all ain't going to do me any favours."

"Ash is right, let's watch a movie!" Bonnie shouted, throwing up her arms and almost slapping Serena in the face. It was at that moment, Serena found herself unbelievably sleepy and could only nod her head weakly in agreement as she did her best not to yawn in front of everyone. It seemed like everyone else agreed to, looking as exhausted as Serena felt.

"Hey, guys," Ash said standing up, "I'm going to get some air, Bonnie can have my seat." Bonnie gave a slight cheer, dashing from Serena's grasp and jumping onto the sofa Ash had vacated, snuggling up with Deedenne and Pikachu. The Vaniville Town girl watched for a moment, before standing up and following Ash in silence.

Serena passed Mrs Ketchum as she followed Ash, the older woman smiling at her almost knowingly but said nothing as she herself moved to join the others as Misty took control of the remote, flicking through numerous channels that the satellite TV offered.

Serena slipped out the open glass door, which Ash had left ajar behind him, now leaning against the wood railing of the deck. There was a moment of hesitation as she stopped short of the older boy, a little unsure as to whether or not to announce herself. Biting her lip, she decided that perhaps it was just for the best if she kept the young man from Pallet Town silent company.

The deck creaked for a moment as she stepped up next to him, arms crossed behind her back. Ash looked over to her for a brief second, but said nothing and instead smiled softly. Still biting her lip, Serena tried her best to smile back, suddenly second guessing herself but she stood firm.

No words passed between them for what seemed like the longest time, the two of them just stared out at the calm, cloudless sky. Watching the many stars' twinkle alongside the crescent moon. In the end, though, Ash did say something to break what had been otherwise relaxing, even tranquil, the silence that they had shared: "I really am nervous though. Tomorrows going to be a big day – my entire tournament run could be determined by my group draw."

"You'll win," Serena said without hesitation.

"How can you be so sure?" Ash asked softly, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Because I know you," Serena shrugged one shoulder, blushing as she cast a quick glance to the glimmering surface of the backyard pool she was only now just realising they had. "I believe in you. So does everyone else and I know you won't let us down. Now, what do you say, let's go enjoy whatever terrible movie Bonnie begged Misty to put on and relax? Just like you suggested we should do."

"Thanks, Serena," Ash said with his usual, confident smile, nodding his assurance that he wouldn't let everyone down. "But I think I'm gonna stay out here for a little longer, you can head back inside. I'll only out here a few more minutes."

"Okay," she nodded, content to let the matter rest for now that Ash looked more like his usual confident self, "just don't stay out too late, okay Ash?" Ash nodded as Serena turned back inside, feeling utterly drained after all of the day's excitement. _Tomorrow will probably be even worse,_ she thought, being that it _was_ the first day of the tournament – even if there were no matches to be played.

Arriving in the living area, Serena quickly excused herself, saying she was heading up to bed. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, and an even longer tournament, and something told her tomorrow was going to be full of surprises and familiar faces and she wanted to be fully rested so she could meet the challenge head on.

* * *

 **Trivia**

 **1)** Gary's appearance is actually based off of Blue's appearance in Pokémon Origin's rather than his HG/SS counterpart which is where the looks for Misty and Brock are taken from for the most part.

 **2)** Delia being the owner and chef of a restaurant in Pallet Town actually comes from the novelization of the original series, you can look it up on her Bulbapedia page if you're interested.

 **A/N:** I'm sorry for the rather exposition heavy chapter goes as far as explaining how the tournament works for the most part, but it was going to happen eventually and I'd rather it be now than during the opening ceremony which could get long enough as it is. Admittedly I wanted to do something utterly different from most tournament stories and the anime with my format, so sorry if it seems needlessly complicated but I did try to use a system that, as stated in the chapter, when it comes down to last sixteen it really is the best sixteen left to duke it out.

Next time the opening ceremony and we'll find out whose is in Ash's group, as well Clemont's and Misty's and meet some faces old and new! Until next time, peace out.


	7. Beyond Thunderdome

**A/N** : Heads up, made some edits to previous chapters so sorry if that causes any confusion to older readers - more in-depth explanation at the end.

* * *

 **Beyond the Summit**

* * *

 **VII**

* * *

 _Beyond Thunderdome_

* * *

 **Ash Ketchum**

Ash's morning was off to a surprisingly smooth start: his mother had kept everyone organised and on time with practised ease. Everyone had eaten a hearty breakfast as more stories of recent misadventures were told and the previous day's excitement returned with a vengeance.

The biggest shock of the morning had been when Gary had joined the group towards the tail end of breakfast; he'd returned earlier that morning wearing the same clothes as the day before. Ash's childhood rival had shared a laugh and a smirk with Brock, which earned him a disproving look from his mother. Still, the trainer-turned-researcher grabbed a seat and gobbled down what food he could after a quick shower.

"Hey, Gary," Ash had asked realising something as breakfast wound down and everyone was gathering their things before heading out, "what are you doing all the way out here anyway? I mean are doing research or something?" It was only after he'd finished asking that Ash realised just how rude he must've sounded.

Gary had just laughed, "Nah," he shook his head, "I mean most of my research is pretty much tied to Viridian City ever since I took over the Gym two months ago."

"Wait," Misty had asked, looking surprised, "you're the new Viridian City Gym Leader?"

"Yeah! Although not for reasons you might think," Gary had explained as the three of them hung out in the living area waiting for the others. "I mean, it's great fun getting to battle again but the pay I get as a gym leader is helping to fund a fair bit of my personal research and having so many trainers challenge me means I'm not hard pressed to find strong trainers and see for myself how their bonds with their Pokémon can affect their strength in battle. When I was asked if I wanted to compete in the International I figured why the heck not? Paid vacation with Pokémon battling? That's my kind of break!"

The shock at Gary's reveal had been short-lived and everyone shared a laugh before Ash's mother marched everyone out of the villa so as to keep everyone on time, making sure they all left sharply for the quarter to eight shuttle bus. After arriving at the stadium, the group of eight had quickly parted into two smaller groups after agreeing to meet up near the large monument of Lugia and Legendary Bird trio in front of the stadium once the opening ceremony had concluded.

His mother had wished him luck with a ferocious hug and a kiss on the cheek, much to Ash's embracement whilst Bonnie had also offered him and Clemont both a hug of encouragement. Brock and Serena had thankfully been a little more subdued in their good wishes and instead just offered words of support and waves of goodbye.

With Misty as their guide, the three boys were able to avoid getting lost. Gary had whispered to Ash that there was something funny about the fact that Misty had qualified for the biggest tournament in the world before either of them had. Not to discredit Misty, but the raven-haired trainer had to agree it was somewhat humorous looking back on how heated his rivalry with Gary had been in their early years.

Eventually, after almost losing each other several times in the crowd, Misty led the group to a huge assembly hall towards the back of the stadium. Ash could only sigh in relief as the sudden rush of cool air from the air conditioning hit him, the Johto summer heat wave and the sheer number of people in the crowds weren't exactly making for cool weather. The assembly hall was also looking packed, but there were comfy seating areas and the windows lining the back wall were all vented to help more cool air get in.

Anarchy seemed like a fitting word, to sum up, the scene before them as voices carried from all corners of the room as the competing trainers mingled and laughed as they waited for the ceremony to begin properly.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Ash slipped off the new cap his mother had given him that morning to go along with the blue and white striped t-shirt and baggy shorts she'd given him, his Kalos clothes a little too heavy for the Johto heat, dropping into one of the few sofas with the others joining him quickly.

"Man this heat is killing me," Ash bemoaned as Pikachu nodded his head in agreement as he sat on Ash's lap, stealing the young man's cap so that he could take shelter under the shade it provided.

"You can say that again," Misty muttered from the seat next to him as she slouched in her own seat, a sheen to her brow. "Man I can't wait to get back to the villa and cool off in the pool." Popplio gave a bark of agreement from her arms.

"I could certainly do with getting out of this jumpsuit," Clemont agreed with a nod, rubbing the back of his neck with a headkerchief. The poor blonde hadn't expected the previous day's heat to continue and so hadn't opted to swap out his jumpsuit for cooler clothes.

"Sounds like a plan if you ask me," Gary muttered, "might take a while though seeing as this is turning out to be more of a circus than a tournament." To prove his point, he pointed to one of the large monitors that hung from the wall, showing a broadcast of the _International Download_ which was being filmed live from outside the stadium with correspondents dotted all over the island, but it was the time that had everyone's attention. It was almost nine fifteen. The morning was flying by but the opening ceremony showed no signs of starting.

"Right–!" a frizzy, grey-haired haired woman shouted from near the large tunnel entrance leading out to the stadium floor on the other side of the room from where the group sat. The poor woman could only scowl when her voice failed to carry over the chorus of gathered trainers. Drenched in sweat, with brown hair frizzing thanks to the heat and forcibly dressed in an uncomfortable suit that showed her position as a tournament official. "Oi!" she tried again to no avail.

Muttering to herself, the woman stepped off her perch and vanished for a moment. A second later she was back on her perch with a megaphone in hand. "Oi, the lot of you listen up!" the woman screamed into the megaphone and the gathered trainers went silent. "Now the lot of you better listen carefully as we want to get back on track stay on schedule as much as possible today!"

"You mean like last year!?" somebody in the crowd jeered to a chorus of laughter from just about everyone who had attended the tournament the previous year.

" _Hilarious_ ," the woman said slowly into her megaphone with venom in her tone. "Just shut and listen, you lot!" she gave a pointed look to her earlier heckler as the sound of music began to rise in the background and footage on the screens turned to inside the stadium showing an orchestra began to play. "The opening ceremony is now officially on the way with a small performance from the Johto National Orchestra.

"After the performance concludes, we will have the traditional lighting of the ceremonial torch using the sacred flame of Ho-Oh by the current reigning world champion and Mr Goodshow. After this, we will have you all organise yourselves as best as you can and all competing trainers will perform a lap of the stadium floor for the crowd. After this, all Trainers aside from current regional champions will return here to wait the group draws.

"When the last trainer returns, Mr Goodshow along with honoured guests and the current world champion will take the stage alongside the regional champions for a few words from various sponsors and the Pokémon League Committee and then the group draws will begin–"

Everyone cheered with delight and even Ash couldn't stop himself from joining in, even Clemont of all people seemed to be letting himself get swept up in the excitement of the tournament and be a little more carefree as he too gave an excited clap.

"Yes, _yes_ ," the woman rolled her eyes at the interruption before glowering at everyone present, "if we could carry on. Now, when your name is called please make your way down the tunnel onto the stage where you and the rest of your group will meet Mr Goodshow and our other honoured guests and shake their hands and greet them before you are given your first round opponent for the round robin.

"We understand this process could take some time and some of you may wish to begin preparing for your matches as soon as possible so after your group is determined you are not obligated to stay after you are dismissed from the stage." The assistant explained and everybody nodded. "Be warned that members of the press may ask to speak to you as you leave but you do not have to speak with them if you don't want to but we ask that any refusals be made politely as poor behavior on the part of our competitors reflects poorly on this tournament and repeated offenses _will_ be punished via disqualification. Now does anyone have any questions?"

No one said anything.

And so, the waiting began, with things quickly falling behind schedule due to various technical difficulties. Ash spent most of the long wait talking with Misty as she told him more about her recent trip to the Alola region and the different kinds of Pokémon they had there whilst Gary and Clemont discussed why the former had taken over the Viridian Gym in greater detail. Every so often as the music played by the JNO echoed in the background Ash could see an old rival or friend pop up, from recent opponents like Alain and Astrid to older ones like Harrison and Barry. Whilst Harrison had dropped by to exchange words of greeting and promises to catch up before he was pulled away by other friends most other familiar faces settled for a nod of greeting, although Alain's stare was more of a silent challenge: the promise of a rematch. Even though their last meeting had not been so long ago, Ash was glad to see Alain was competing in the International and that the incident with Team Flare had not held him back. The idea of a rematch of the Lumiose Conference finals had him itching to battle.

Eventually, the screens shifted to the lighting of the ceremonial torch by Cynthia and Mr Goodshow, which turned out to be a part of the large monument of Lugia and the Legendary Birds, which would be cordoned off and under watch for the remainder of the tournament so as no one would tamper with the ceremonial flames. As the flames of the torch roared to life Ash could swear the stadium suddenly shook with roars of applause as the draws were now upon them.

"I think I get why they call it the Thunderdome now," Clemont said, sounding impressed by the crowd's excitement as everyone in the lobby suddenly moved with a single purpose and headed for the tunnel leading out onto the stadium floor. Thankfully the regional champions and figures like Pyramid King Brandon and even a few of the Gym Leaders did their best to keep everyone ordered and together.

Still, if the roar of the crowd had been loud back in the lobby then it was even louder when they all stepped out onto the stadium floor. The recitable roof was open and sunlight rained down on them and a sea of bodies rose high into the sky above them all. The sides of the stadium were alight with various displays advertising things from restaurants to the Devon Cooperation and Silph Co. and even a few of the regional champion sponsoring items. Ash could see a huge skybox high above with several display screens hanging below it, providing the audience with close-ups of the field itself. The field, however, was replaced by a large stage that held several chairs and what looked an assortment of different coloured lottery machines.

Thankfully despite the stadium's size, the lap was brief, with Ash occasionally chancing glances into the stands to see if he could spot his mother or the others there to cheer them on. Sadly, he had no luck as they were hidden well in the massive crowd but he couldn't help but awkwardly wave when someone recognised him as he walked by, calling his name before cheering or waving a sign around. As all the trainers began to filter back into the tunnel and the regional champions began to break off and converse with one another.

"Uh, glad that's over," Gary groaned as he flopped into a new seat, their original sofas having been taken by others during the seating shuffle caused by the lap of the stadium. No one argued with him as they all let themselves slouch in their seats as, only half watching the screens mounted on the walls as the master of ceremonies asked the crowd to give a warm welcome to Charles Goodshow, Cynthia Schnee and honoured guests.

The noise reached new levels as the entire crowd took to chanting Cynthia's name as one as she, now in her traditional black coat walked alongside a short man with a bushy grey beard, dressed in khaki shorts and a red and green polo-shirt, both waving to the crowd. Alongside the pair walked Scott Reyes in his usual loud shirt and shorts, Mr Stone and the Silph Co. president in expensive suits and a blonde woman dressed in a strange white and yellow dress with one of strangest hairstyle Ash had ever seen.

"That's Lusamine, she's the president of the Aether Foundation in Alola," Misty pointed out to the others. "I've heard rumours going around that the Aether Foundation is going to be one of the tournament's sponsors moving forward with Alola hoping to join the competing regions next year."

Cynthia and Mr Goodshow and his associates all took a moment to shake hands with the regional champions in attendance before everyone made their way onto the stage. The atmosphere in the stadium took a sudden turn as Mr Goodshow stepped away from the others who all sat down to the side of the stage. Even in the trainer's lobby, everyone seemed to hold their breath as everything went silent as Mr Goodshow stepped up to the mic left for him.

"I'm sure no one wants this speech to be brief more than me," Mr Goodshow began before the crowd roared back to life, taking a moment to pause so the cheers could die down, the man in charge of Pokémon League committee eventually resumed his speech, "but there are unfortunately a few things we need to cover before we start the group draws."

The next few minutes were spent congratulating all of those who would be competing, old and new alike before Mr Goodshow took a moment to thank each of the tournament's major sponsors in turn. He made sure to take great care to thank the Aether Foundation for helping to fund and design some of the new training facilities that had been built in the last year before officially announcing that trainers from the Alola region would finally be competing starting next year.

"Lastly," Goodshow caught everyone's attention, "There have been adjustments made to the bracket stage of the tournament that we need to cover. The most of important of these changes are that upper bracket matches will now be played before lower bracket ones." There was a collective murmur that ran through the stadium. "This is to ensure that even when dropping from the upper bracket," Mr Goodshow continued before he could lose too much attention, "the upper bracket Trainers are gaining an advantage of longer prep time before their next matches and the ability to watch possible matchups to help them better prepare.

"The other major change is that first seeds from odd numbered groups from group one to sixty-three will face the second seed of even-numbered groups sixty-six through a hundred and twenty-eight. Likewise, the inverse will apply for remaining groups and to the lower bracket. We've made this change to reduce the randomness of later matchups and help create a more structured bracket system. With each side of the upper bracket dropping into the opposite lower bracket on alternating rounds to reduce chances of repeated matchups and truly test Trainers against a multitude of opponents."

Ash wasn't too sure if he was stupid or confused, but either way, the whole thing seemed a little overly complicated. He supposed though that at the end of the day if he knew where to go and who he was facing nothing else mattered.

"Now, Cynthia," Mr Goodshow turned to the reigning champion of the world, a smile on his face as he gestured to the black lottery machine. The blonde stood with a smile and wave as the crowd went wild with noise. "If you could be so kind as to standby the Sinnoh machine our randomizers will begin by generating the very first group of this year's International."

With those words the long wait for his group to be drawn began, Ash could only sit impatiently next to the others. as Mr Goodshow briefly reminded the crowd that each ball with within the lottery machines was marked with a barcode that had been assigned to each trainer upon registration. When the ball was dispensed from the machine it would pass through a scanner that would read the data and then display the appropriate trainer on his tablet for him to announce before their image would appear on various screens around the stadium. As defending champion Cynthia would automatically be the first trainer draw in group one, meaning the Sinnoh machine only had a hundred and twenty-seven coded lottery balls compared to the hundred and twenty-eight of the others. With the explanation out of the way the draws commenced.

Ash and the others didn't need to wait long at all for one of them to be drawn, as Gary stood with a groan as he was the first Kanto trainer be drawn, fourth overall, and placed in group one along with Cynthia and an assortment of people Ash didn't recognise aside from Cameron – his onetime rival in Unova – of all people. Ash, Misty and Clemont all let a slight breath of relief for Gary when he was matched against one of the people none of them knew for his first match.

In time, Gary returned to them all with a rather upbeat smirk despite the situation. "I mean, sure," he shrugged as he dropped down next to Ash, "getting placed in the same group as the world champion sucks but I don't think second place is such a crazy idea given the rest of my group. Looks like a bunch of other first-time competitors."

"You'll want to watch out for Cameron," Ash warned his friend, and whilst Gary nodded in acknowledgement he didn't seem too worried. Instead, the brunette slumped back in his seat, throwing up his arms over the back of the sofa and letting his head loll back as the second group was drawn.

It wasn't long though before the draws were fully underway but it took until group ten before another familiar face cropped up and even then Ash was the only one to recognise Tyson, former Ever Grande champion and not long after the crowd went wild as a young man named Benga from Unova was placed in the same group. Right after that group, eleven drew the first Gym Leader of the tournament, the Sinnoh region's very own Volkner. So, it went with more and more familiar faces including Harrison all being drawn in quick succession before the entire crowd united in a unanimous chant for Lance Pendragon when he was drawn – it made the cheers for Cynthia seem tame, but it wasn't surprising that as the champion of Johto that Lance was a fan favourite.

The very next group that followed Lance's saw Clemont's name get drawn just before they hit the thirties. Ash was uninformed on the others in Clemont's group, but both Gary and Misty looked worried over the blonde's draw. Misty having competed the previous year seemed to know just about everyone in Clemont's group even if was just through reputation but she pointed out two in particular to Ash when he asked her about it. The first was the man from Johto, Russel Southland, a towering blue haired giant of a man who looked to have just crawled out of bed, his loud flowery red and yellow shirt all disheveled with several buttons still undone and blue and gold shorts – combined with the large sunglasses, five o'clock shadow and his slouched posture had Ash questioning if he was hungover. Yet according to what the others said he was last year's bronze medalists, losing the lower bracket finals to Steven Stone in a nail-biting battle that had gone down to the wire. The second was the rather androgynous looking woman from Kanto, she stood at the end of the line apart from everyone else with a stoic expression, the white of her hair contrasting with her tanned skin and white and blue getup, her arms folded over her chest as she waited for the matchups to be announced. Misty said her name was Blanche, who had challenged the gym leader in the past year and proved an imposing challenge and won her Cascade Badge on the first try, she was an expert in Ice-types.

But after Clemont's first battle was announced to be against Russel of all people, Ash could only welcome his friend back with weak words of assurance. Gary, on the other hand, had been a little blunter in his condolences, "Hey look at it like this," he'd said with an unpitying tone, "at least you get the toughest one out of the way first. I mean it isn't like it's going to get harder than last year's third-place seed anytime soon."

Clemont had begrudgingly admitted Gary had a point, but it hadn't done much to help settle his nerves until he and Misty started discussing what she knew of the man and what kind of Pokémon he had at his disposal. Convince his friend would be fine, Ash returned his attention to the groups just in time to see that Steven Stone had been drawn as the last member of the latest group.

The conversation shifted away from Clemont's group and the group of friends just watched the draws continue as more familiar faces, the most notable being Paul appeared in the early forties but Misty seemed a little more interested in one of the other trainer's in Paul's group. In time group forty-nine rolled around and the first trainer to be announced was none other than Misty.

"Uh, _finally_ ," Misty sighed with relief, shooting the rest of the group a quick wink as she stood up.

"Go get 'em!" Gary shouted and Ash cheered Misty on as she vanished into the tunnel and headed for the stage.

"Here's hoping she gets a better drawn than us," Clemont joked, looking to Gary who just shrugged. They watched with baited breath as Misty shook the hands of Mr Goodshow and the others before the next trainer was drawn: Nathan Strauss. Things only got tougher from there. Whilst the trainer from Hoenn was a mystery to Ash, the girl from Sinnoh was very familiar. She'd grown out her hair, as it was now down to her waist, but even dressed casually in three-quarter skinny jeans and white t-shirt, clutching her paperboy cap behind her back as she mingled with the other's in her group Salon Maiden Anabel seemed so at ease before the huge crowd. Even when Marshal of the Unova Elite Four joined the groups ranks no one looked particularly worried. Until Diantha's name was called right afterwards.

Ash let out a sigh of relief when Misty was matched against the unknown trainer from Hoenn for her first match. He guessed it would probably be a close contest just to get a lower bracket placement in such a group and momentum would be key if Misty was to have any chance of advancing. The crowd seemed to agree with him as the chant _group of death_ followed the group members into the tunnel.

Misty, however, returned with a wide smile, waving Nathan off into the crowd as Anabel quickly jogged over to join the group for a moment.

"It's been a long time, Ash," she greeted with a warm smile, placing her cap on properly now she was off stage again.

"Yeah, Anabel it's great to see you again!" Anabel laughed lightly at Ash's hearty greeting, "I'd wish you luck, but I'm not sure how much good it'll do you in that group."

"Oh, don't I know it," Anabel grinned, looking to Misty and the pair of girls shared a laugh. "Second year in a row where Misty and I have been drawn into the same group. It wasn't easy last year and this year is going to be a real blood bath of a group. I mean nobody wants to be in the group of death but six people have to draw short straw."

"Oh come on," Misty waved her off, "you ended up winning our group fairly handily last year so you'll be fine."

"Not that I lasted long in the upper bracket, mind you," Anabel said humbly before considering the crowd, a small smile gracing her lips as he cheeks gained a slight pink hue. "Not to mention last year we didn't have to face off with an elite four member or a regional champion for the upper bracket spot. It's been lovely to see you again, Ash. I hope we can catch up properly before the tournament gets into full swing and we don't have any time,"

"That'd be great!"

"We'll work something out," Misty nodded.

"Great!" Anabel beamed, before turning away, "sorry to run on you guys, but I've got to go find my brother!"

 _Brother?_ Ash though, a little taken aback but the others just waved Anabel off before he could comment on it. Shaking his head, the raven-haired trainer turned his thoughts back to the rest of his friends as they started talking about the rest of Misty's group. Whilst Clemont was highly shocked at the odds of Misty and Anabel being placed in the same group two years in a row, the redhead did her best to seem confident but Ash was sure he could see the nerves begin to set in. He didn't envy her luck after such a difficult draw, but he was certain that it'd take more than getting put into the group of death to stop Misty from going far.

The conversation soon thinned and the wait for Ash's group resumed. Of course, he would be the last one to be drawn, Ash scowled as he grew more impatient. The next big names to be called that Ash recognised was in the early sixties with Virgil and then the Snowpoint City gym leader Candice being drawn into subsequent groups and that was followed by Sabrina and Norman Maple being drawn into the same group not long after.

Then came group number seventy-six.

It might have been just another group that Ash would watch pass him by as he waited but then the first trainer of the group was announced to be Oliver Loweshore. Ash could see Misty scowl a little as the man eventually appeared on stage, reluctantly shaking hands with Mr Goodshow and the others. After the previous day's standoff, Ash couldn't help but feel intrigued by seeing who else landed in Oliver's group. Next in the group came an older man probably in his late thirties from Nimbasa City. Ash didn't know who the man was, but his name was met with a huge roar from the crowd. William Tanner, a man with a flair for the old west and in full cliché cowboy getup, including _blue_ leather hat and decorative poncho and a belt buckle that read BAMF shook hands with Mr Goodshow with a hearty smile, his face weathered and beard neatly kept, pushing the brim of his hat out of his face Tanner offered the crowd a quick wave before taking his place in the lineup.

"I was wondering where Tanner was," Misty said softly and everyone looked at her with interest, "he's been a regular in the tournament since Unova first joined a few years back. He even made the Elite Sixteen the year before last, although he went out in the same round as me last year." Ash let an impressed whistle before he turned back to screens to see a woman from Kalos close to Misty in age step onto the stage. She had shockingly scarlet coloured hair that was pulled up into a long ponytail, with a few lose bangs frame her face and piercing green eyes. She was dressed in a heavy black button down coat with a belt clasp, red miniskirt and matching button clasp shall. The girl clasped her hands in front of her, smiling nervously before the crowd. The information on the screen had her listed as Quinn Harper from Camphrier Town.

"Quinn!" Misty cheered in excitement, but before Ash could turn and ask his friend how she knew the other girl, _his_ name was called. Startled, Ash shot out of his seat on instict and ran for the stage as the others called after him but he was too focused to catch any of it.

The cheering that greeted him when he stepped up to meet Mr Goodshow and everyone else on stage was honestly much louder than he had expected it to be. The old man gave him a smile, quickly shaking his hand as he had done with all the trainers to that point.

"Best of luck, Ash," Mr Goodshow nodded before Ash made his way down the line, shaking hands with the others, including Scott who offered him a wide smile before pulling the boy into a brief bug before sneaking a quick word.

"Seems like you've drawn yourself quiet the group so far," Scott smirked as they broke apart, "hope you weren't hoping for an easy one because it's shaping up to be a real challenge, Ash."

"You know me, Scott, I wouldn't have it any other way."

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Scott laughed, slapping Ash on the back before he joined the others in his group.

"Hello there!" Quinn greeted with a bashful smile, and it was only up close that Ash realised just how tall Quinn was – she had to be at least six feet considering she was taller than him. Tanner grinned broadly, tipping the brim of his hat to the Pallet Town trainer but Oliver looked rather disgusted at the sight of him. If the blonde had any words to say, however, he held his tongue and Ash could only glare back with equal force. It was becoming readily apparent he had found himself a new rival but the talking would be done on the field and nowhere else if he could help it - he did have a promise to keep.

The group's next addition was someone else Ash was familiar with, even if they had only battled once during the Silver Conference many years ago he never forgot a league opponent. Vincent Jackson from New Bark Town was dressed similarly to how Ash remembered him, green and white hoodie top and baggy blue pants except he'd added a rather strange, midback length, white cape to his attire for reasons that escaped Ash. In the end, the group was completed with the addition of another old conference rival of Ash's, Katie Belford was dressed in a short black biker skirt, white t-shirt and red and yellow jacket with long tassels and fingerless gloves. Her hair was shorter than he recalled but still fell past her shoulders and framed her face. She gave Ash a knowing look, making a finger pistol and pretending to shoot him as she passed him to reach her spot in the line.

Together the six of them stood and Ash was excited to hear his first match of the tournament would be against none other than Vincent. Looking to the other boy they nodded at one another as the ashes of their one-time rivalry was rekindled. Katie was to face off against Oliver whilst Quinn and Tanner would round out the first-round pairs.

As Mr Goodshow announced the group was complete, letting them all bow for the crowd and shaking hands with them all one last time as the left the stage, letting them know remaining group stage scheduling would be emailed to them that afternoon, Ash could hear chants beginning to build in the crowd, yells of support for Tanner and Quinn, whilst there were some jeers directed at Oliver.

He couldn't deny that he hadn't drawn the easiest group in the world but damn did he relish a challenge and he'd be certainly luckier than Misty all things considered. Besides he'd defeated two of his group before. It wouldn't do him any good to get overconfident though, Vincent and Katie were no doubt be on a much higher level compared to when he had first battled them and the others were complete unknowns to him.

"Well, Pikachu," Ash said to his faithful partner as he jogged down the steps of the stage and headed for the tunnel entrance and his friends, Vincent and Katie walking ahead of him and talking casually about something, Ash couldn't hear over the shouts from the crowd, "looks like we got a good one but we're going to have to be ready. It's time to get to work!"

"Hello again," Ash blinked a little as he was half down the tunnel towards the lobby when Quinn stepped in line next to him, hands clasped a little as she leant forward into his view with a slight smile. "I must say it's nice to finally meet you after hearing so much about you last year. You're not quite what I was expecting though."

"Uh…" Ash looked to Pikachu who looked as equally confused. Quinn just laughed lightly, a smile curling at her lips as she walked on without him. "What was that about?" he wondered, coming to a stop for a moment as he scratched the back of his head in confusion. " _Oomph_."

Ash staggered forward a step as Oliver went storming past him, the blonde shooting him a dirty look over his shoulder, "Make no mistake that I'll bury you, kid. Then I'll move on to the rest of your friends."

"What _is_ your problem?" Ash demanded as he took a slightly more aggressive stance, only after releasing that Oliver's Empoleon had come from nowhere to tower behind its trainer with a dark look in its eyes. Ash could feel Pikachu's cheeks spark momentarily, but he held up a hand to hold his partner back. "This isn't the place, Pikachu. I promised Serene."

"You scared, kid?" Oliver jeered, making a starting motion as though he was about ready to jump as Ash. Without thinking, Ash's hand instinctively went for Greninja's Poké Ball on his belt but Oliver just laughed like as he turned away with a triumphant smirk. "See you on the gridiron, kid."

"Oliver," despite himself, Ash just couldn't let him walk away with the last word, the blonde looked at him with a dark expression, "next time our Pokémon will do the talking."

"It'll be hard for them to talk when I put them in the dirt." Oliver jeered again, lips curling into a dark smirk, "don't think you can hide from me, kid."

"Jerk," Ash muttered to himself, reshrinking Greninja's Poké Ball before he finally walked out of the tunnel as members of the next group started to pass him, some giving him odd looks as they did so. But when Ash moved to finally rejoin his friends, he found Misty talking animatedly with Quinn, both Gary and Clemont watching the pair with titled heads, whatever the girls were talking about going straight over their heads. "Guess her comment in the tunnel makes sense now." He muttered aloud.

"Ash –!" Misty waved to him, "Come on, we don't have all day!" Wondering what the sudden hurry was, Ash jogged over to join them, Clemont and Gary looking relieved for his return.

"Hello _again_ ," Quinn said politely and Ash could only nod awkwardly, unsure of how to react. "Well, either way, I'll be seeing you soon, Misty. Now if you excuse me I have to go find my wayward brother and his best friend before they cause too much chaos. Take care, Misty."

"So, eh, you know her?" Ash asked, a little confused before looking to Gary and Clemont, who both shrugged, knowing as much as Ash did.

"We met last year," Misty shrugged, "we spent some time training together and then I ran into her and her brother during my trip to Alola so we ended up spending a lot of time together there."

"Eh, whatever, let's just go get lunch," Gary cut in as he stood up, "then we can get our teams sorted and go soak in the pool." No one argued with the newly appointed gym leader and instead, they headed for the exit, and despite not all of them having the most fortunate group draws they were all in high spirits for the next day when the International would officially begin.

* * *

 **A/N** : This one was a long time coming, I know. Nothing too exciting as I try to get back into writing Pokémon seeing as it's been a while since my last update, and it probably shows in this chapter. As for the edits to previous chapters, a lot of them come from the feedback you guys have given in reviews and adding in generation seven elements to the story too, but aside from Misty's Popplio nothing massive has changed aside from slight dialogue changes and rewording things to better portray the characters as they should be. Provided I don't go off on a tangent in the next chapter or two, Ash's group stages matches should start in chapter ten, there are a few more things to cover before then though. Next one should be out towards the end of May so see you guys then.


	8. Carry On Wayward Son

**A/N:** Here we are, back again. The tournament will be soon, but one or two plotlines left to kickoff before that. Enjoy and who knows when the next one will be.

* * *

 **Beyond the Summit**

* * *

 **VIII**

* * *

 _Carry On Wayward Son_

* * *

 **Ash Ketchum**

Ash had never been zealous when it came to tournament prep as he'd always been the kind of trainer to follow his gut, but the format of the International would punish him if he took his usual approach. So, the young man had found his way back to his room at Oak Villa in the early hours of the afternoon to work on the selection of Pokémon he'd use for the group stage.

His room in the villa was fairly spacious, with pale yellow walls and a large king size bed took up most of the free space but there was a bedside table for his things and a chest of drawn for his clothes. What Ash liked most about the room though was that it was at the back of the villa and overlooked the garden with a wide window that he'd opened as wide as he could to let in the weak breeze. The room's desk and the computer were set in front of the window, with information related to the people in his group on one monitor whilst the second had various videos all filling the screen, all of them paused.

On the desk, next to the keyboard and mouse lay a notebook, with the latest page having a line down the middle; Ash had scrawled out in his messy handwriting on one side which Pokémon he was sure he'd use and what Pokémon he suspected his opponents might use over the course of the group stage. It was proving increasingly difficult to make definitive choices the more research he did because with each trainer new challenges appeared that he had to account for whilst still having answers for other Pokémon he was certain he might face.

Whilst Scott had noted his group would be a challenge during their brief exchange at the draw, it was only now that Ash understood what the owner of the Battle Frontier had meant. Out of Ash's entire group, he and Vincent were the only two who lacked a conference title win under the achievement section of their respective profiles. Given he must've been at least a decade older than the next oldest person in the group it was unsurprising to see William Tanner had a conference title to his name. What was surprising was that it was only one conference title. As it turned out Katie had walked away with the Indigo League trophy in rather convincing fashion only a few weeks ago. According to the numerous online articles, the only real challenge she'd faced was in the final against none other than Tyson DeHaan.

Moving on from Katie, Ash glanced towards the second screen, plugging in earbuds as he replayed a video he'd pulled up earlier: it showed Oliver's Empoleon lay down a savage beating on a rather helpless Ludicolo. _He certainly seems to treat his_ own _Pokémon better than Paul used to,_ Ash thought as he felt his grip tighten on the mouse, _but he's way more vicious in battle than Paul ever was. That Ludicolo is clearly beaten yet he's still having his Empoleon pummel it._

It stung to admit, but Oliver Loweshore was perhaps far and away the most prolific trainer in group seventy-six and no doubt would prove to be one of his toughest opponents. Oliver's profile listed _two_ Lily of the Valley Conference titles at different points in his career as well as a Silver Conference title, a second-place finish in the Ever Grande Conference and several other top-four finishes across other leagues. Looking to the other screen, Ash shifted through several tabs on his browser before he brought up Oliver's profile. Aside from the Empoleon that doubled as Oliver's bodyguard, the trainer from Solaceon Town had an almost feral looking Arcanine and brutish looking Dragonite listed under the notable Pokémon section of his profile.

The last trainer in his group was the one who worried him the most. Quinn Harper. Until he had looked up her profile Ash had known nothing about her aside from the fact that she was friends with Misty.

Looking at Quinn's profile hadn't given him much to go off of either. The replays on her page were older than the ones on everyone else's as she hadn't competed in a major conference in the past year. The most up to date videos of her battling were from the previous year's International, too old to give a real idea of Quinn's current strength. Like Katie and Tanner, she had a single conference title to her name: the Ever Grande which Oliver had been runner-up in. She also had two consecutive second places finishes listed, one from Kanto and one from Johto. What worried Ash was the achievement that sat atop the list: top-twelve at the previous International. Her tournament run had earned her the moniker of the Camphrier Conquerer. The Pokémon on her profile included an Aegislash, an Altaria that could Mega-evolve and a strange looking Ninetails that was marked as being Alolan – whatever that meant.

It seemed ridiculous that the strange girl from the tunnel was to be his strongest opponent. If it wasn't on the screen in front of him, Ash might not have believed it.

"So, how go the preparations?" _Huh?_ Looking over his shoulder as he pulled out his earbuds, Ash saw Serena peeking around from behind the slightly ajar door. _Huh, didn't realise the others were back…_ Whilst Ash, Gary and Clemont had all headed back to the villa to begin preparing for their groups, Brock had offered to take Serena, his mother and Bonnie on a more detailed tour of the island. Misty had disappeared before anyone could question her and only Brock seemed to have any idea on where she had gone.

Sighing, Ash smiled and pushed against the edge of the desk, letting his chair glide across the floor and beaconed Serena in, thankful for the excuses to take a break for a while.

"Kind of slow," he admitted as Serena came and sat on his bed, "I mean, he's a complete jerk but this Oliver guy actually looks pretty tough, not to mention completely brutal. Misty's friend also has me worried, she made a deep run in the tournament last year. Plus, she's got this weird looking Ninetails."

Serena seemed to title her head to see the screen at his declaration, "Wow," the Vaniville Town girl breathed softly, seemingly rather taken by the Ninetails. "As beautiful as it is I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle," Serena said as she turned back to him, smiling with confidence as Ash tucked his hands behind his head.

"You know it,"

"You don't sound so sure, Ash," Serena said gently, but she made no move to press the matter further as Ash felt himself frown.

"I dunno," he said with a shrug, "I mean this is a lot different to what I'm used to and it's got a lot more up for grabs than any other tournament I've ever competed in. I guess now that the initial excitement has passed I feel a little intimidated by the scale of it all. I mean everyone on my Kalos team needs to rest so I want them to sit out the group stage, but at the same time they're all red hot and have momentum. A good group stage could make or break the tournament."

"I think you're doing the right thing," Serena said confidently, but when Ash looked at her a little confused, her confidence seemed to defiantly a little as the heat rose in her face, "resting your Pokémon from Kalos, I mean. If you depend on them too much now then you'll suffer for it later, right? You have lots of Pokémon who love you and want to help you succeed, Ash. Greninja and the others will understand." Ash nodded his head as took a deep breath.

"Thanks, Serena," Ash could feel himself smile, a weight lifting from his shoulders as his confidence found him again, "I think I needed to hear that. I mean, I know I should know this stuff on my own but it's nice to hear from others so you know you're making the right call. You remember how thick headed I can get when I tunnel in on something,"

Serena hummed gently in agreement, smiling when Ash looked back at her with a shocked look on his face, "Hey!" he cried, feigning betrayal, "you're supposed to assure me that isn't true!"

"Are you trying to make me a liar, Ash Ketchum?" The pair of them shared a laugh before things settled down again and Serena assured him with a playful smile; "You know you can always count on me to be there for you, Ash," there was a long moment of silence as the pair of them merely locked eyes, something unspoken and foreign to Ash passing between them in that moment.

Serena was the first to look away though, as after a moment she seemed to realise how she must've sounded. "So," she stammered, doing her best to avoid eye contact, "have you figured out of the ten Pokémon you're going to use?"

"I have – sort of," Ash said, leaning over the side of his chair as he reached for his notepad, scrambling widely as he lost his balance but he caught himself before he fell out of his chair. Serena stifled a snigger behind her hand as he shot her an embraced smile. "Well, yeah, anyway I think like I said last night that Sceptile, Snorlax and Charizard are all prime candidates for my team for the group stage. I checked my own profile earlier and I was kind of surprised when none of them were listed under my notable Pokémon."

"How come?"

"Probably because it's been so long since I've used any of them in a league sanctioned battle," Ash shrugged, scratching his cheek as he looked at his notes for a second, "it works in my favour though so I'm not going to complain as people might overlook them because of it. Seeing as I'm going to rest Greninja I'm thinking about using either my Kingler or Totodile to cover my need of a Water-type. My biggest problem is aside from Pikachu I don't actually own any other Electric-types so I might to double down on Grass-types seeing as Water-types are pretty common and if I run into Oliver's Empoleon I'll want someone like Sceptile on hand."

"Do you know when you battle Oliver?" Serena asked, looking concerned as she looked around for a moment, seemingly just realising something. "Where is Pikachu, anywhere?"

"He's my last opponent in regular group play so I need to make sure I have two strong Pokémon as my last two," Ash explained as he stood up from his chair, gesturing Serena over as he moved around the desk so he could look out the window. Following his lead, Serena looked out the window, shocked to see Pikachu was happily floating in the pool on a blow-up ring, an old straw hat turned into an improvised umbrella as the little Eclectic-type wore a pair of overly large sunglasses.

"I…? _How_?" Serena asked, completely at a loss.

"Gary," was all Ash said and for a moment Serena looked to ask for more, but after a second she seemed to realise she'd rather not know. "I mean," Ash added, smirking as the pair moved away from the window, "at least he's enjoying himself, right?"

" _Clearly_ ," Serena nodded, before looking to him, "maybe you should take a break and enjoy the weather yourself. It might help you figure things out; besides your mother bought you some proper swimwear to use in the pool and Brock brought a bunch of supplies for a barbeque. Oh, and Bonnie bought Clemont a change of clothes so he wouldn't melt in his jumpsuit. You won't believe what she–"

As if to prove Serena's point, Clemont's shocked cry of: "You actually expect me to wear that!?" echoed up from downstairs. The pair shared a knowing look and a grin.

"You know what?" Ash thought, shooting the computer one last look before turning back to Serena, "a break sounds like an awesome idea."

* * *

 **Gladion Aether**

He stared up absently at the object he held in his hand, the smooth surface of the crystal catching the light of the moon through the window above his bed. Across the room Type: Null slept soundly, curled up in his doggie bed as the evening slowly became morning. Sighing, Gladion rolled onto his side and placed the Fightinium Z on the nightstand. It'd be a long few days for him and Null both and he really should sleep if he wanted to depart for Akala in the coming days.

Still, his battle with old man Hala was bothering him. Or rather the girl who had been watching it bothered him. He'd seen her around a few times since he started the Island Challenge but her sudden appearance and disappearance at the battle with the island Kahuna only served to confirm his suspicions. Whoever she was, she was following him.

Closing his eyes, the blonde dismissed the idea the girl had been sent by Lusamine. If the girl had been sent by her she certainly would have been far more direct. Besides the woman who thought herself his mother was abroad and had other things to concern herself with other than her wayward son. But if not one of the she-devil's minions then who was she? _Why_ was she following him?

Was it because of Null?

Sitting up, Gladion looked across the room to his sleeping partner. More than a few people had shown great interest in Null. Resting his elbows on his knees the runaway teen silently watched the sleeping Pokémon, if he really could be called that, almost starting when the creature stirred from its slumber. It looked at Gladion, as though sensing his apparent inner turmoil. Shaking his head clear, the blonde stood and walked over to his partner.

"Go back to sleep, Null," he told the Pokémon quietly, so as not to wake his hosts, "I'm just going to get some water." Null tilted its head curiously, leaning into Gladion's touch for a moment before lowering its head. Thankful, Gladion gave the Pokémon a quick scratch before doing his best to get downstairs undetected.

Although it wasn't as late as he'd thought, Gladion was still oddly surprised to find the lights on downstairs as he wondered through Professor Kukui's lab and home. Looking around he thought that the Professor and his wife had stepped out for a late-night walk, something they seemed to enjoy doing. But as Gladion stumbled into the living area, he found both the television on and Professor Kukui's Rockruff staring at the door, waiting patiently for something.

"Rockruff?" the teen asked in confusion before the door burst open and Professor Kalena Burnet ran in, looking oddly flustered and without her usual jacket wrapped around her waist. In her rush, the professor seemed to miss Gladion standing there watching her in his black sleeping shorts and t-shirt as she shot past him in the direction of the bathroom. When she returned she was carrying several towels and dashing for the door again.

Gladion could only watch, dumbfounded as Rockruff went scampering after her, barking up a storm. Realising he'd missed something, the blonde followed the professor out onto the deck. Thankfully it was a cloudless night and the stars shone brightly, so he could vaguely make out Bernet running over to her husband who seemed to be supporting someone. They must've found someone washed ashore, Gladion realised, moving to run and assist the pair.

But that was when Gladion saw her again, the girl who'd been following him. Even at a distance, he could make out the silhouette of her cloak flapping around in the breeze, she stood on the slope at the beach's edge watching everything transpire, he could swear he saw her garnet eyes sparkle in the dark. The faint shadow of the Whismur that followed her poking out from behind one leg.

"Gladion!" Professor Kukui's shout snapped him out of his stupor. Looking away he saw the Alika Kukui gently leading a young girl towards the house with the support of his wife. The girl was wrapped in towels and Bernet's jacket. The professor held up a bag the girl must've been carrying with her, giving a nod of his head, silently asking Gladion for his help.

Not really thinking about it he jumped the barrier of the deck and ran barefoot across the sand to help relieve the professor. Taking the bag, and the large hat Professor Bernet had been holding from the two, Gladion watched the two scientists quietly walk the girl back to Kukui's lab. Given she had a towel over her head, the boy missed what the girl looked like but she seemed to be wearing some sort of white dress.

He stood there watching them for a moment before lifting the large hat into view. It looked like something Lusamine would force Lillie to wear, he thought with a scowl. He was tempted to cast it aside there and then just because it made him think about the horrid woman. To think other girls had to suffer as Lillie did and wear such stupid outfits.

Slinging the bag over Gladion shot a look back to where his stalker had previously been.

Nowhere to be seen. Not surprising, but now he felt unsettled because this person knew where he was staying. He'd worn out his welcome and it was time to move on.

"Gladion, get in here before you catch a cold!" Bernet shouted out. Tearing his eyes away from where his stalker had once been perched, Gladion began the short jog back to the lab. Along the way, he could have sworn he felt something move weakly inside the bag. Deciding to check if he was imaging things, Gladion slipped into the lab and closed the door behind him as Rockruff came darting back inside, running to its master's side to try and help. Whilst husband and wife attended to the soaked and blanket covered stranger, the young runaway absently dropped the hat as he walked over the kitchenette counter, gently placing the bag down and pulling the ziplock open.

He hadn't been imaging things. There was indeed something moving in the bag. Weak and unconscious but still alive was a Pokémon Gladion recognised. It sent a chill down as his spine as he saw Cosmog tossing and turning, breath shallow and erratic.

He suddenly felt very ill.

Taking a step back, Gladion half turned away from the bag - hoping he was just imaging things and trying to see if his worst fears had come to pass. Professor Kukui looked up in the same instance, "Looks like that trip to Haehae City might have to wait an extra few days," the man said, but Gladion barely heard him. He was too focused on the girl wrapped up in towels and blankets, her skin shockingly pale and clothes, which were most certainly chosen for her, wet through because of the sea, hair dirty and out of place and face covered in muck. Lusamine would have a fit if she was to see this.

"You don't mind do you, Gladion?" The professor spoke again as he took a step towards the blonde. Gladion could barely nod his head, because at the mention of his name the blonde girl had looked up, no longer in shock, her eyes flying around the room before locking onto him. All colour must've left him when the guilt and consequences of his actions almost floored him in the same instance.

"Big brother," This wasn't right, Gladion scowled as he stared across the room at Lillie and the now stunned professors. Damn it how did this happen? Even if she was aboard there was no way Lillie should have been able to escape Lusamine's clutches, especially with Cosmog in tow. Even if she was in Johto Lusamine would return with a fury once she heard of Lillie's escape. Whilst he had always intended to return for the sister he had abandoned, to free her from the clutches of the obsessive madwoman who called herself their mother he hadn't become strong enough to challenge her. When he had escaped Lusamine had put minimal effort into recapturing him because he was difficult to control and she did not seem him as a threat. But with Lillie gone too? The she-devil would rain hellfire down on them to take back control.

He wasn't strong enough to protect his little sister. Not as he was, it was why he needed to finish the Island Challenge. Why he needed to figure out who was following him and deal with them before his mother caught wind of this.

"How annoying." It hurt, more than anything to make the decision that needed to be made but he'd done it before and would again. Together he and Lillie were far too great a target for the Aether Foundation. He needed to put as much space between them as possible whilst he still had time. The professors would keep Lillie hidden, keep her safe if he told Kukui the truth. But he couldn't risk her following him. "I'm going back to bed, and in the morning I'll find my own way to Akala Island."

As he turned on his heel, Lillie called after him. He ignored her. _Forgive me, Lillie,_ he thought as he felt his eyes burn for a moment before he shook his head clear- there would be time for emotions later. _Lusamine will declare war for this, and I won't let her take you back._

There would be no reunion. Not yet. Not until after he had defeated Lusamine and freed Lillie once and for all. There would be peace when he was done.

* * *

 **To Be Continued in Chapter IX** \- _Mr Blue Sky_


	9. Mr Blue Sky

**Beyond the Summit**

* * *

 **IX**

* * *

 _Mr Blue Sky_

* * *

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen," Rivington Pierce greeted those who were tuning into the _International Download_ as the first day of the round robin concluded, "and welcome to Download Tonight were this evening we are joined by the ever-present Joseph Tully, and guest analyst Erik Mykles and our ever-radiant world champion, Cynthia Schnee."

"You know, Rivington," Cynthia smiled as she relaxed in her chair, seated between the two male analysts in attendance across from the show's host in a luxurious white leather chair with a small side table for bits-and-pieces, choosing to pretend the multitude of cameras and crew weren't present, "as I tell you every time I come on this show; ice-cream works so much better than flattery if you want me to keep coming back."

They all shared a good-natured laugh at her comment, even if it wasn't particularly funny. As defending world champion Cynthia was no stranger to most of the _International Download_ crew as she regularly appeared on the show as a guest like all the other regional champions. Rivington being the show's host perhaps knew her the best due to the sheer number of appearances she'd made over the years and Joseph was perfectly friendly even if his attempts at humour didn't always lands whilst Erik was, _well_ , himself.

Erik Mykles was a toothpick of a man who had short dark hair and matching eyes that had the bad habit of always thinking he was the smartest man in the room. Unfortunately, he often _was_ which did nothing to plug his ego – there was a good reason he earnt the kind of money he did. The best got paid and Erik was the best.

But after Rivington adjusted his glasses for a brief second, he clasped his hands and opened the floor to them.

"With the first day of the round robin finished we're seeing some interesting results across different groups. Now," Rivington added holding up his hands as Erik almost leaned forward to cut in with something, "I know what group you're all dying to talk about and we'll get there, I assure you. But aside from the obvious have any of today's groups surprised you?"

"I think it's interesting that we're seeing less of a divide between league officials and other competing trainers this year," Joseph stepped in to not leave his partner waiting, "don't get me wrong not every gym leader shows up to compete but every year it seems like more trainers prove that they can at least stand toe-to-toe with members of the various elite four."

"I think you're putting far too much stock in the results of one day of a very volatile group stage system," Erik said in reply with an uninterested shrug. "We've seen it time and again were champion and elite four level trainers just don't care to show up on day one. Most of them are happy to put in just enough effort to secure an upper bracket placement given it's rare for them to face any real competition at this stage."

"Your thoughts on the matter Cynthia?" Rivington asked her before Joseph could give a retort which would no doubt result in a roundabout argument which went nowhere fast.

"I'd like to think that the gap between official and standard trainer is closing," Cynthia smiled as she recalled for a moment when she had been one of those standard trainers at this same competition. "The round robin is something that the league officials always take seriously – who knows how many of these trainers might be champions themselves one day."

"You're four-and-oh," Erik replied, looking at her sideways, "without having used any of the Pokémon that the public would associate with you. If you're all taking this seriously then when will we see your Togekiss, or Milotic? Your world famous Garchomp that _everyone_ is desperate to see?"

"I wouldn't be a well-rounded champion if I kept going back to the same handful of Pokémon, now would I?" Cynthia said in retort, hoping he annoyance wasn't showing – Erik had always rubbed her the wrong way. "Besides, the first time I used my Togekiss was in the group stages some years ago. Just because we don't get many opportunities to use them in battle doesn't mean we officials aren't constantly capturing or even breeding knew Pokémon to train ourselves. This tournament is the perfect chance to test those Pokémon and see if they're ready for duty at the highest level."

"That's some interesting insight there," Rivington nodded, "but I think for the most part even if the battles themselves are closer than usual many of the results we expected going into today came about in the end except–"

"–Except for group forty-nine," Erik said as he leaned for in his seat again as the floor to ceiling screen behind them suddenly cut away from the Download logo to show footage of some of the battles from group forty-nine.

"Except for group forty-nine," Rivington repeated as he gave Erik a look – but his tone stayed polite and his expression quickly became pleasant again. "Now, I can't really say much other than that everyone was sure that Diantha would hold her own and take her group in stride barring maybe a slip-up or two but she's currently sitting three-and-three on the day for a total of four points."

"Diantha does certainly look to be struggling," Cynthia nodded in agreement, but she chose her words carefully not being ready to write her fellow champion off, "I had her placing first in the group as I think most did, but to see her sitting fourth currently isn't shocking given the calibre of trainers in her group."

"I think that's one of the downsides of her position here," Joseph added as the footage of a clashing Mega Gardevoir and Mega Tyranitar (taken from Diantha's clash with Nathan Strauss the previous year) was replaced with Diantha's pictures and those that she'd faced that day, Don Marshal, Salon Maiden Anabel Preston and gym leader Misty Clearwater. "It seems like just about everyone who has faced her has come in with some sort of strategy meant for her whilst instead she's come in hoping to be as well rounded as possible and take each battle as it comes."

"If she doesn't have something special left for Strauss tomorrow there's a very good chance we see a regional champion go directly to the lower bracket for the first in almost four years," Erik said with a smug hint in his voice – he'd be the only one to call such a scenario when the group was drawn. He'd instead tipped Anabel and Nathan who were currently second and first respectively to advance to the upper bracket. "Losing two-oh to the Salon Maiden puts her in a very dangerous position, especially when she ends the days by splitting her match with a _gym leader_."

"I agree that a lot hinges on her ability to sweep Strauss," Joseph nodded, choosing to ignore how Erik had said gym leader like it was an insult, "I think given his results today, Todd Buckland has been written off in everyone's mind, but if he can somehow score a point against Diantha or Anabel tomorrow it could be the difference between upper and lower bracket for someone else."

"Maybe even elimination?" Rivington proposed.

"I wouldn't go that far yet." Cynthia shook her head. Whilst she and Diantha were acquainted she wouldn't consider the other champion a friend, but she had nothing but respect for the other woman and her skill. "Strauss also has Don Marshall tomorrow and that could very well be the matchup that defines the group – being a Dark-type specialist will make that the hardest match for him in the group."

"Your forgetting he has Pokémon like Swampert and Claydol." Erik rolled his eyes, continuing, "and as you so pointed who knows what he's been training in secret for a time like this. I think the only thing we can say for certain is that we'll get to see his Mega Tyranitar in action against Diantha tomorrow."

"If we bring up the table just now," Joseph asked as he looked past everyone else to one of the stagehands who gave him the thumbs up, "we can maybe better work out how things will play out."

So, the table graphic appeared on the screen, an image of each trainer ranked by their points scored: Nathan being first with seven points and Anabel controlling second with six, followed by the groups biggest surprise as Misty sat in third with five points and Diantha was hot on her heels with four points. The group was rounded out by Marshal at three points and poor Todd Buckland had yet to score a single point.

"I must admit the performance by Miss Clearwater has to be one of the more interesting turn of events," Joseph said as he turned from the screen to Rivington. "Given the reputation of the Cerulean Gym until more recent years most chalked her performance last year up to overperforming, but I think this year she could make a real case for herself as first place isn't even out of the question if things go her way."

"She has the Salon Maiden and Don Marshal tomorrow," Erik dismissed the idea almost instantly, "to get first she'd really need to two-oh one of them and at least tie the other as tie-breakers could become a major point of discussion based on the results of the groups fourth round. She could pull off the upset in regular play but doing it a second time in a tie-breaker is a different discussion."

"Any last thoughts before we move on, Cynthia?" Rivington turned to the show's guest as his producer prompted him to move things along.

"I hope they're already for a long day because I have to agree with Erik," Cynthia sighed as the graphic disappeared from the screen and the International Download logo returned. "Tie-breakers are likely in my opinion and I think Diantha will still manage to snatch an upper-bracket spot with a strong second-day performance as no disrespect meant to him but having Todd Buckland as her next opponent is a huge boon and almost a guaranteed two-oh in Diantha's favour."

"Well there we have it," Rivington nodded as he turned away from his panel to face another camera, "the big talking point and with that was this year's official group of death. When we come back from break we'll have some questions for our panel as sent in by you at home followed by a look ahead to some of the big clashes coming up tomorrow. That includes the three groups to watch out for as voted for by you at home. We'll be back in three and a half, don't go anywhere."

* * *

 **Misty Clearwater**

"So," Misty said from her seat in one of the booths as the commercial ran and most of the patrons seemed to all lose sudden interest in the various televisions dotted around the bar, "no pressure."

It was rather late and the first day of groups was finally over and Misty was beyond exhausted. As was often the case at the International things had failed to stay on schedule and many groups had finished long after they were supposed to. Knowing the fact all too well, Misty had told Delia (as she insisted Misty call her) to not wait on her should her matches run late and not keep her any dinner.

That and she had a date.

It wasn't that she'd lied about it, just failed to mention it. Truthfully her relationship wasn't new (they'd be together eight months now) but after the disaster that was introducing her first real boyfriend to her sisters, Misty was, in her own mind, understandably nervous about introducing him to the rest of her extended family – including Delia and Ash. The former was the closest thing she had to a mother since her own had passed away and Ash was… well _Ash_.

She'd spent a lot of time when she was younger hung up over Ash and her feelings for him. But whilst there time apart wasn't easy at first it had given her time to think. She'd grown a lot in the years since she stopped travelling with Ash and whilst she'd admit she loved him in a heartbeat she wasn't _in love_ with him.

Not anymore.

"Just keep doing what you're doing, and you'll be fine." Misty barely heard the remark, to jumbled up in her own thoughts that she almost jumped when a hand began to wave itself in front of her face. "Not falling asleep on me, are you?"

Misty flushed as she looked to her side at her date. Dexter Harper shared a lot of traits with his twin sister: both had scarlet hair that was mess of spikes that frame his face and swept off to the right, but his eyes were more a blueish-green instead of solid emerald. He, like most, was dressed for the heat in baggy cargo shorts and a casual white t-shirt as well as a blue and white flannel hoodie, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows to show off part of the tattoo sleeve of Pokémon that ran up his left arm.

"I know the Drunken Clamperl isn't exactly the fanciest place on the island," Dexter smiled at her in that way that he did that made her want to just smile back, "but it's good food and good company… right?"

"Hmm, right. Besides," Misty nestled into him, hoping to make him a human pillow, "who has the energy to go somewhere fancy after all that battling?"

"I dunno," Dexter made no effort to resist though, instead of dropping one arm to wrap around her waist so he could pull her flush against him, "I think I heard Nathan saying something about him and Ivory going to The Coral tonight. Nutter,"

"They're _both_ crazy…" Misty trailed off as her words were lost in a yawn. She'd forgotten how draining the International was for someone who regularly didn't compete in league conferences. In the background, she could faintly hear the Download coming back from commercial, but she was too tired to care anymore now she'd finished eating. The gym leader was content to sit there with her boyfriend in their booth, legs tucked up underneath her as she snuggled against him whilst he gently caressed her arm.

In her half-asleep state, she let her mind wander back to earlier thoughts. A part of her wondered if she and Ash had continued to travel together would he be the one she was sharing a moment like this with now instead of Dexter?

Maybe. If they'd kept travelling together or been better about staying in touch there was no telling how different things would have been between them. Or they might be exactly as they were now. There wasn't much point dwelling on it, she supposed because Misty had moved on. She _liked_ Dexter – a lot – and she had little doubt that he liked her just as much.

Yes, her sisters hadn't taken a liking to Dexter like she'd hoped but including his twin, he had three sister's himself and had taken the whole thing in his stride as he'd be raised in a house run by women. Dexter said later how older siblings believed no one was ever good enough for their baby sisters and Misty instantly pitied any boy Aria dared to bring home. How well he'd handled the whole hazing had endeared him (if only a little) to Daisy, which was something.

Misty couldn't help but think Ash had also moved on – even if the moron hadn't realised it yet, because he _was_ Ash Ketchum – seeing the way he looked at and talked about Serena – it was obvious to everyone but him. The Pokémon Performer clearly liked Ash too. _It's not subtle_ , Misty thought with a smile as she wondered what she could do to hopefully nudge Serena in the right direction. Maybe she could get Brock to help her as, shockingly, he was surprisingly insightful and helpful when it came to any love life that wasn't his own.

"Hey," Dexter leaned in to whisper in her ear, "they're talking about Quinn's group and your friend."

"Is that so?" Misty hummed in reply as she opened one eye. "What are they saying?"

"They all think it's one of the groups to watch tomorrow as far as raw competition goes," Dexter relayed, "the only reason people aren't calling it a group of death is the lack of a league official trainer."

"I just hope they all kick Oliver's –" Misty never finished as she cut herself with a yawn.

"Oh, nu-uh," Dexter chuckled, "if you that tired I'm taking you home, Missy."

"Good luck swimming to Cerulean." She'd of course known what Dexter meant, but sometimes opportunities had to be taken.

"You're hilarious," Dexter said as he stood up to go pay their bill. When he disappeared, leaving her without a pillow, Misty sat up and stretched in her seat to try and wake herself up. Repressing another yawn, she reminded herself she needed to check in with Delia and make sure Popplio had been behaving for her as the young Pokémon wasn't ready for this level of competition so would spend the tournament on the sidelines.

"Ready to go, Missy?" Dexter asked when he returned.

"Carry me!" Misty threw up her arms, looking to score a piggyback ride back to Oak Villa and whilst Dexter gave her a pleading look, he made no attempt to resist and complied without any verbal complaints. When she was secure and snug against Dexter's back she pointed to the bar's door. "Forward, my trusty steed."

"Nathan's right, I'm whipped," Misty made no effort to convince him otherwise and instead let herself enjoy the ride back to Oak Villa.

A ride that would've been in familiar and comfortable silence had the journey not been side-tracked by an unwanted arrival.

"I'm surprised you haven't been eliminated already, Harper," Oliver blocked their path as they came to the end of the Mile, standing in Ho-Oh's shadow. His expression was that of false boredom, Misty could see the hardness in his eyes, and his Empoleon at his back as he crossed his arms. She glared right back – whilst normally she would at least try to be civil with the man she was too tired to care and he never made any effort to hide his dislike of her. "As I seem to recall you'd been knocked out of the tournament by this point last year."

"If it isn't Mr Sunshine and Blue Skies himself," Dexter replied through a yawn of his own, not the least bit bothered by Oliver's comments after having been subjected to them for years, "how are you doing Oliver? Beat up any helpless Pokémon today?"

"Tomorrow," Dexter just rolled his eyes at the response, "your sister should consider herself lucky that she avoids me day one. Wouldn't want to embarrass the other half of the Kalos Wonder Twins to early, would I?"

"What's your record against Quinn again, Oliver?" Misty cut in, knowing that it certainly wasn't positive. For his part, Oliver opted to ignore her as he continued to frown at Dexter who looked mildly amused by the whole conversation.

"Surprised you didn't fall apart again after losing your opening match," Oliver said, "although I supposed even toddlers learn eventually, don't they? It shocked me to find out you went otherwise perfect."

"You do know my intellect level pretty well, I'll give you that" Dexter nodded in agreement, "babies and I have a lot in common: we like colours and shapes."

"And boobs," Misty added in an uncharacteristically snide tone.

"Oh, and boobs. Can't forget those." Oliver's eyes narrowed, and his lips curled something terrible as he finally decided to acknowledge Misty with another venomous glare.

"I don't understand why he's dating you then, washboard."

" _Oliver_." Dexter casual tone changed and Misty could only blink dumbly, feeling like she'd been slapped. "There _is_ a line."

"Your girlfriend crossed it first,"

"You better step back over it," Dexter warned, "before she kicks you back to where you came from."

"Not going to do it for her, Harper?"

"I don't need him to," Misty just about snarled, having recovered from the verbal slap, sick of being talked about as though she wasn't even there; "I'd kick his butt over the line too if he even thought about it."

"Sure," Oliver shrugged one shoulder,

"Oh please," Dexter rolled his eyes, "this has nothing to do with Misty and you know it. You never cared about our relationship or that it ended: you're just pissed that I was the one who dumped your sorry ass. Get over yourself, man, it's been years. Go get laid, maybe that'll help you unwind a little."

"Is that what you do? Lay with whoever is willing to have you before you move onto the next one when your board?" Oliver shot back, and Misty could feel Dexter's entire body stiffen, growling lowly as he glared at Oliver

"The _line_ Oliver." Dexter hissed, and Misty was pretty sure that if her boyfriend hadn't been carrying her he would have slugged the jerk.

"What? You must be good at something right?" Oliver said in a sneer. "I mean I certainly can't think of anything else that you'd do well at. But, for the record, Harper I'll do my unwinding when I crush your sister and–" Oliver's gaze turned to Misty, "–your friend, he should make a good example to those who think they can mouth off to their betters." The trainer from Sinnoh made no further comments as he walked past them and disappeared into the coming night.

"I swear he becomes more of a cliché every time I run into him…" Dexter mumbled after taking a deep breath to calm himself. Misty said nothing as she clung to Dexter as he started walking again – thankfully not caring to look back and see where Oliver disappeared too. "Dude needs a hobby."

"I hate him," Misty said quietly even though Oliver was long gone from earshot, "everything about him just makes me so…"

"He has that effect on people these days," Dexter agreed as he came to a stop, bending down and Misty took a moment to realise that it was a hint. When she slid off his back, she found her stomach twisting into a worried knot as Dexter turned to face her, still almost squatting so their eyes were level. "You know what he said is a load of crap right? What we've got right now is–"

"–Great, right?" Misty finished, wishing her words didn't sound like a question even to her.

" _Better_ than great," Dexter said with a reassuring smile. "If this," he elaborated, gesturing between the two of them, "ever ends then it won't be because of anything Oliver said. I've fooled around with a lot of people, I won't lie about that, and maybe I've not always been the best boyfriend, but all those exes have one thing in common."

"If the next sentence out of your mouth is: they weren't you," Misty said, feigning anger as all the negativity that Oliver had conjured in her melted away, "I _will_ slap you silly."

"Uh…" Dexter's mouth hung open before he hung his head and scratched his neck, "can I call Quinn and get another cheesy line then? I really don't want to get slapped."

"Stupid," Misty smiled as she leaned into him and cupped his face. The following kiss was rather chaste, but it was worth it when she pulled away to see such a goofy look on her boyfriend's face. "Come on, you still need to finish walking me home."

Dexter let out a stammer but followed her lead without complaint as she pulled him along, his hand in hers.


	10. From Out of Nowhere

**Beyond the Summit**

* * *

 **X**

* * *

 _From Out of Nowhere_

* * *

 **Ash Ketchum**

With the heat showing no signs of relenting, Ash could not be more thankful for the fact that stadium twelve was an open roof one – a more advanced version of the stadiums he'd battled in during the Silver League. The heat wasn't just from the early morning sun, however, in just a few short minutes group seventy-six would begin its first round of matches. Sitting at one side of the field on a long bench, Ash sat silently beside Quinn with Katie on the other end of the bench – all of them would be battling on the blue side of the field for their first match.

Nervously adjusting his cap, Ash looked around the stadium, craning his neck to see if he could catch a glance of his friends. It was only when he noticed his mother waving in his direction that he spotted them: across the field behind the red side bench, four rows from the front his mother sat with Pikachu in her lap, Serena on one side of her with Bonnie and Clemont on the other, all armed with signs offering him support. In the row behind them sat Brock and Gary, neither had signs but knowing they were both there was all the support he needed from either of them. Misty sat further along the row from Brock, between Nathan and another scarlet haired male trainer Ash didn't know and a younger girl who looked suspiciously like Aria that looked to be cheering on Quinn judging by their signs of support.

Squinting his eyes, he was pretty sure he could see Serena and Bonnie cheer for him loudly but amongst all the noise whatever they said was lost to the crowd. He pulled down the brim of his cap a little, hoping to hide his embraced smile, ever thankful to have such a great family supporting him.

"What's good, stadium twelve?" an amplified voice called over the stadium and the crowd erupted in another wave of noise as the massive scoreboard suddenly blinked to life, streaming the image of morning's casters out for all to see. Both men were dressed in fine suits, as seemed to be the standard dress code for the commentary staff; the first, a young fair-skinned man in his early thirties with finely kept mahogany hair and beard with brown eyes wearing a black suit and red waistcoat, even if he had removed the jacket for now, with white tie and suspenders. The second was a dark-skinned gentleman of comparable age, with a cleanshaven head and a dark, unrulier beard of his own dressed in a sharp, deep purple and grey pinstripe suit and black tie.

"Here we are once again," the dark-skinned commentator carried on, "back at stadium twelve on this glorious morning with the most amped crowd of the day." The crowd gave a roar of agreement, many calling for the battles to begin. "My name is Leroy McNeal, your play-by-play caster for this morning's battles and I am joined today by Unova's finest, mister Jacob Indovino."

"Good morning stadium twelve and to all of you joining us live from around the world," Jacob smiled as he nodded to his fellow caster, "and boy did you pick a group to tune into this morning. As our colleges on the International Download pointed out last night this is defiantly one of the groups to keep an eye on today with several veterans of the tournament and some fresh faces expected to make a big splash."

"You can say that again," Leroy continued for his partner, "and whilst the much-anticipated battle between Quinn Harper and Oliver Loweshore won't be taking place today that doesn't mean we'll be short on excitement. But instead of talking about it how about we just get on with it?"

"That sounds like an amazing idea, Leroy," Jacob said before the pair of casters disappeared from the scoreboard and instead they were replaced by Ash and Vincent's pictures, the same one on their identity cards, with two blank spaces below them. "Today our first match will between Ash Ketchum and Vincent Jackson; a battle of the groups two underdogs."

Ash scowled a little at that. Since when was he an underdog in this group? True, he and Vincent weren't exactly as decorated compared to the others, but Ash had made several short lists comprised of young trainers to watch out for as had Vincent. Shaking his head, he let it slide as he stood from the bench and made his way to the field as the morning's referee, a lanky man with dark hair dressed in the usual Johto official garb.

All noise became a distant memory as Ash and Vincent met in the centre of the grass plain battlefield. The referee announced himself, silencing the crowd as he went over the rules one last time: a best-of-two with one point per knockout, a bonus point being awarded should one trainer win both battles. Ash nodded when he was asked if he understood, shaking Vincent's hand firmly.

This was it. Time to get the show on the road.

"Mr Ketchum," the referee turned to him, "as neither you or Mr Jackson have competed in the International before to determine seeding, your most previous league placement was used to determine who would call the coin toss. Heads or tails?"

"Tails," Ash replied without thinking, refusing to look away before Vincent did.

The coin was flipped. The enter stadium, casters included, waited with bated breath for the referee to call the result. When the referee announced the result was tails, Ash felt a great weight suddenly vanish from his shoulders. Good, he could have Vincent make the first selection and get an advantage in their first battle and hopefully dictate the tempo of their battle.

Vincent nodded when Ash made his decision, not at all surprised. Ash knew at that moment Vincent had been hoping for the same thing he had.

"Well, Ash," Vincent said just before turning away, "I don't know about you but this has been a rematch a long time coming." Ash did not have the time to respond before the referee asked him to make his way to his side of the field. Commentary once again bounced around the stadium, but it was all a mad storm of noise that really meant nothing to Ash.

Breathing deeply, Ash turned on his heel as he reached his box, just in time to see Vincent unclip a Poké Ball from his belt. Without ceremony, the other trainer tossed the ball skyward, the entire crowd captive by the ball as it split, a beam of red cascading from inside onto the field. What was left after the light vanished was a blue and white Pokémon, squat in stature and ovoid in shape. One ear flopped down lazily, crossing its stumpy arms over its chest the Azumarill puffed out its checks as its black eyes narrowed to look tough for the crowd.

"Doesn't look like Pikachu is around to help you with Azumarill this time, Ash!" That was true, Ash thought as he recalled the battle he and Pikachu had had with this Pokémon during the Silver Conference. That didn't mean he didn't have something for the Water/Fairy-type. Brushing over Sceptile's Poké Ball, Ash resisted the urge, knowing he'd need that Pokémon for later. Instead, he grabbed the one along from it.

"Torterra, I choose you!" Ash said, the crowd cheering loudly for his signature call out as the Continental Pokémon took the field with a small quake of the ground. Torterra gave a low rumble of acknowledgement, gazing at the Azumarill across the way. Vincent didn't seem shocked that Ash had responded to his selection with a Grass-type, but it appeared he had not been expecting a Torterra as he gaze was questioning when he and Ash locked eyes.

"The first battle of group seventy-six will be Torterra versus Azumarill," the referred threw up one hand into the air, "begin!"

"The first move is ours, Ash!" Vincent shouted, throwing a hand forward as he pointed towards Torterra, "and we're going to show you some _real_ power. Belly Drum, Azumarill!"

Ash and Torterra both watched on as Azumarill sucked in a deep breath, taking on a slight glow as it pounded its fists against its belly before a trick of the light almost made it look like Azumarill doubled in size. Belly Drum wasn't exactly what Ash would have opened with – maxing out a Pokémon's attack wasn't something to scoff at, but the move had some glaring downsides that would probably mean this battle was going to be short, one way or the other.

"You seem a little reserved, Ash!" Vincent smirked and Ash scowled, racking his brains for the right response. He didn't want to give Torterra any snap judgments commands until he could figure out what Vincent was planning. "Aqua Jet!"

"Use Rock Polish and dodge!" Ash ordered in response as Azumarill ran forward, arms dragging behind it as water began to encapsulate it. Leaping into and hurtling towards Torterra like a cannonball, Ash only had a moment to think.

"Well I'll be, I didn't realise we came here to watch stat changes!" Ash heard Leroy's voice in the distance as Torterra roared and the ground shook, a breeze kicking up as the Continent Pokémon's shell shone brightly before its entire form shifted in a sudden burst of speed.

Azumarill skidded to a halt as it landed where Torterra had once been. The smaller of the two Pokémon glowered as grass and water fell around it. Torterra just chuckled lowly, and Ash couldn't help but smile with it as he saw Vincent's stunned expression.

"Aqua Jet again, Azumarill. Let's get in there!" But the trainer from New Bark wasn't willing to relent the momentum so easily. But even with bolstered speed, Ash was more than happy to let Vincent come to Torterra. He was in total control and Vincent was about to realise it.

"Stone Guard, Torterra!" Ash shouted and the entire crowd seemed to go silent at the command.

"That ain't a real move!" Leroy decried but Ash smirked. _Time to show everyone you're not a laughing stock anymore, Torterra._ The Continent Pokémon let out a low growl as its eyes turned a shining blue, four distinct rings of pale blue light formed around Torterra, slowly beginning to spin faster and faster as they summed little rocks and pebbles which grew with each rotation.

"It's Stone _Edge_!" Jacob called out as the torrent of rocks suddenly hurtled from around Torterra to form a giant shield of assorted stones that Azumarill hit head-on. Torterra went skidding back as its focused wavered for a moment and the rocks exploded outward, but the move had done its job and shield Torterra from the attack and instead propelling Azumarill into the air above.

With how high up Aqua Jet set Azumarill, it was hard to judge how much damage the collision had caused – if any at all, Ash thought as he reminded himself that the water around the Pokémon would've dampened the blow. Still, with Azumarill effectively at half health from the start, even chip damage could prove vital if this turned into a battle of endurance.

But it was Ash's turn to press his advantage: "Torterra, charge up an Energy Ball and ready for release!"

"Outstanding use of the move, Leroy!" Jacob's voice seemed to bring the crowd back to life, "First he uses the stones created by Stone Edge to create an improvised shield which can also cause damage, but he's making interesting use of Energy Ball, too! It was noted his Torterra could consume the move to give itself a slight attack boost in previous battles but I didn't expect to see anything like that this early on."

When Azumarill finally touched back down again, Ash had Torterra greet it with an Energy Ball to the face. The crowd all groaned in unison as the power Pokémon bounced back across the field towards its trainer. But those groans soon turned to cheers when it got back up again.

"That Azumarill sure has guts!" Leroy called out.

"I think you'll find it has Huge Power," Jacob joked and suddenly the Belly Drum call made sense. "And it seems like Vincent's bold strategy to open his tournament run has backfired here, but the match is far from over.

"Got that right!" Vincent took a step forward in his trainer's box. "Get in there nice and close, Azumarill!"

"Man, since when did charging head first ever work?" Leroy asked the crowd but Jacob voiced that he thought there was a lot more going on.

"Don't let them get close, Torterra!" Ash said as he had to agree – Vincent wasn't stupid and clearly had a strategy in mind. "Earthquake!"

"Use Aqua Jet to boost you into range for a Play Rough Azumarill!" The crowd gave a roar as Ash suddenly felt nervous.

Azumarill managed to dodge the entire earthquake when it leapt into its Aqua Jet, flying above it all. Vincent had suckered him well and good – using Earthquake had made the field uneven and whilst faster than normal, Torterra wasn't exactly an agile Pokémon and would not be able to navigate the ruptured field in time to dodge. He'd banked on Ash ordering the move.

Azumarill hit Torterra head on, both Pokémon vanishing in a sudden cloud of smoke as stars and swirls with a loud _thoom_ echoing across the stadium. A moment later Torterra came skidding out of the smoke, across the uneven ground but the large Pokémon stood tall if appearing rather battered.

"I'll be, Torterra is still standing!" Leroy said in amazement.

"That's certainly lucky," Jacob agreed, "don't get me wrong, Torterra are bulky Pokémon, psychically speaking, but a maxed out Play Rough from a Huge Power Azumarill is going to _hurt_." Speaking of, the little duel-type stood where Torterra once had, surrounded but upturned grass field and jutting rocks but it looked to be in no better shape than Torterra.

"We can't let up, Azumarill," Vincent shouted in encouragement, "let's get back in there and get that point!"

"Keep them away with a drill formation Stone Edge!" Ash replied as he clenched his fists for a moment. Who knows what kind of shape they'd be in right now if Korrina hadn't helped him and Torterra practise this more creative use of Strone Edge. Still, with minimal practice, they could only pull this off once or twice as whilst more versatile usage of the move was great for catching people off guard, it was also much more taxing on Torterra to do.

"Tear through it with Aqua Jet!" The Stone Edge came to a devastating point, but the Aqua Rabbit Pokémon crashed right through it, shedding much of surrounding water it had conjured for the move and hurtling towards Torterra inside the swirling column of stones. "Use the remaining water to hit him hard with Waterfall!"

"Now it's Vincent's turn to try and do something different," Jacob said with interest, "using Aqua Jet like a buffer to get through that nasty looking Stone Edge and giving Azumarill a source to pull off a Waterfall! This one might very well be over, folks!"

 _Gotcha_. Ash smirked, Azumarill was now a fish in a barrel – or Stone Edge – as it rode the remaining water like a wave through the air towards his own Pokémon.

"Energy Ball point blank!" Ash roared as he threw a fist forward and Vincent's face went pale. Although Azumarill had dodged most of the Stone Edge's damage, it was still surrounded by spinning rocks that would shred it if it pulled back now without time to conjure another Aqua Jet to protect it.

" _Terra_!" Torterra's cry boomed out over the crowd as they screamed, rising on its back legs as the three on its back glowed bright green. The light ran down the trunk and into the rim of its shell before flowing into a spiralling sphere of power in front of Torterra's open mouth. The Continent Pokémon came back down onto all fours with enough force to shake the entire stadium it seemed, releasing the Energy Ball a split second before Azumarill hit them head-on.

The sheer force of the two forces colliding with another blew both Pokémon, Torterra skidding back to a stop just before Ash's trainer box whilst Azumarill dropped into the dirt somewhere near the field's centre, swirls in its eyes as it groaned weakly.

"Azumarill is unable to battle!" the referee declared as the crowd erupted into chants of _Torterra, Torterra!_

"Awesome job, Torterra." That was probably closer than it should have been, Ash thought as he held up Torterra's Poké Ball. "I knew I could count on you." Still, a win was a win and Vincent hadn't been a pushover by any means and there was another battle to fight.

"I don't know about you Jacob," Leroy said as the screens around the stadium updated to show the results of the first clash, "but if every battle is like that one we might have ourselves a truly special group here today!"

"You can say that again," Jacob sounded off, "Vincent clearly came in with a good strategy in mind, but Ash's creative move usage was his undoing this time. Neither side looked to pull punches coming out of the gate here this morning."

"Ash Ketchum claims one point," the referee reminded everyone dutifully, "he will now select his Pokémon for the second bought first!"

Ash nodded as he clipped Torterra's Poké Ball back into place on his belt. His first thought was Snorlax, his hand hovering the choice for a brief second. He needed something safe but he couldn't afford to use Snorlax this early if he could avoid it, so he settled for burning his curveball early as Vincent's profile had shown a glaring lack of answers.

"Primeape, I choose you!" The Pig Monkey exploded onto the field in flash of red light and hissing fury as it went wild at the chance to battle.

To his credit, Vincent tried to hide his shock at the appearance of Primeape, and Ash suspected everyone there supporting him was just as surprised to see it aside from those who had met the enraged Pokémon whilst Ash was training the previous day.

But Ash's confidence dipped when Vincent smirked after the shock wore off. What appeared in from the Poké Ball that Vincent threw out was a Pokémon Ash had not seen in a long time, but he remembered the familiar oblong head, the symmetrical markings and stumpy body and dragging arms that had different coloured fingers.

Time for a refresher course, Ash thought as he pulled his Pokédex out of his back pocket. "Beheeyem," the device explained in its usual monotone, "the Cerebral Pokémon. It has strong Psychic powers. Using its fingers that flash three different colours, it controls its opponent's mind and rewrites their memories."

Well, that certainly wasn't what he wanted to hear. Still, Anthony took time to explain to Ash that as part of Primeape's training to learn discipline and patience, it had fought many Psychic-types and learnt some moves to help deal with said types. Ash was just grateful it wasn't a Flying-type.

"The second battle of the first match will be Primape versus Beheeyem," the referee threw his hand back into the air before bringing it down. "begin!"

"Our turn to start, Vincent!" Ash shouted across the field as he recalled everything Anthony had told him and decided to gamble on those long odds because Beheeyem's psychic powers would destroy them in a straight fight. "Meditate, Primeape."

The crowd was stunned silent when Primeape made no noise of protest or didn't start throwing a fit as it slammed one fist into the other before dropping into a sitting position. Vincent could only stare on, utterly confused as Primeape was surrounded by a faint pink aura, calm waves rolling off the usually furious Pokémon.

"Uh, Beheeyem, Nasty Plot!" The Cerebral Pokémon hummed in response, pressing its stumpy fingers together as a darker aura surrounded it and eyes flashing. Well, that wasn't what Ash had hoped for.

"Seriously? Come on, bro we want some action!" Leroy called out both trainers and the crowd quickly rallied behind him.

"Keep up the good work, Primeape!" Ash did his best to shrug off the murmuring going around him. But Vincent ordered a second Nasty Plot and the pair were locked in a stare off, waiting to see who would blink first.

"Uh, Psychic!" Vincent shouted as his impatience got the better of him. He recognised Ash had some sort of strategy in mind and needed to win before it could be executed fully. But as Beheeyem gathered psychic energy into a ball floating between its hands Ash saw a glint in the Pokémon eyes as the sphere seemed to glow brighter.

He knew what was coming next – he just hoped Anthony was right and Primeape could handle it.

The psychic was spot on, hitting Primeape with such speed and force most would have thought it a cannonball as the Pig Monkey Pokémon went for a ride to the edge of the field. Hurtling back, the mess of fur and limbs crashed down in front of Ash with a shriek of pain.

"It's a _crit_!" Jacob shouted at the top of his lungs as though he was the one who had taken the full force of the Psychic blast.

Seeing the downed Primeape give a slight twitch, the referee went to raise his hand and declare the match over before the Pig Monkey Pokémon sprang back upright. The once gentle pick aura that had surrounded it had shifted to a bloody red colour, Primeape's eyes nothing but burning slits of white-hot anger as it let a vicious shrieked that silenced the stadium.

"Anger Point!" Jacob screamed, and Ash let out a sigh of relief. Looks like those long odds weren't so bad now – when he called Anthony later to update him on Primeape he'd have to thank the man for all the conditioning training he'd put his Pokémon through.

Across the field, Vincent looked very nervous and Ash suspected he knew why he'd taken such a huge gamble in hopes of triggering Primeape's ability.

"Time to show them the efforts of your training, Primeape!" Ash railed those in the crowd supporting him as he brushed the side of his nose with his thumb. "Go get 'em, champ!"

" _AaaaaAPPPE_!" the Pokémon screamed as it rocketed forward at worrying speed, white light flickering and trailing behind it as the bloody aura seemed to shrink in the harsh light of the sun and concentrated in Primeape's fists.

They had one shot at this – if they missed another Psychic would result in defeat and an overall draw. But Ash knew. He knew they would win.

"Psychic on the field, Beheeyem and take Primeape for a spin!" The field lurched at the command lose ground went flying into the air like a giant dirt tornado. Ash had to wonder if Vincent had watched the battled he and Misty had because the entire idea seemed very familiar. But Primeape in its rage had one goal, get to Beheeyem and it wasn't going to be so easily deterred as it leapt from one dirt platform to the next.

"Take them higher!" Vincent said as he pointed skyward, his plan obvious as he would have Beheeyem realise its control and let Primeape fall to its demise. Jacob seemed to have picked up on as much as he was relaying the information to the crowd whilst Leroy was building the hype for the coming impact.

"Use U-turn to navigate the platform's Primeape!" Ash shouted when he saw a path briefly open amidst all the chaos. Primeape was off like a shot, using U-Turn to quickly turn and navigate falling effort with uncharacteristic grace.

"Release Beheeyem!" Vincent ordered as he hoped to take time away from Primeape before it could find a path back to the field. Most of the platforms and ruined grass field came crashing back down to the ground, throwing up a huge cloud of dirt and obscuring most of the field from view.

"Did Primeape just disappear?" Leroy asked in confusion, there was no sign of Primeape among it all, no sign or cry that could tell the audience if the Fighting-type had returned to the ground safely or not.

"Not likely," Jacob dismissed the idea, "but all that falling dirt and rock makes for one good smoke screen." The colour caster said as everyone in the audience looked aimlessly with one purpose to find the missing Primeape.

But Ash spotted his Pokémon first, appearing behind Beheeyem, rising like a giant red shadow of rage and hate. This was it. This next move was everything, he could order a Close Combat but even with a maxed out attack he couldn't risk that not being enough when Beheeyem resisted the moved.

That left him with one choice to end this with one shot.

" _Punishment_ , Primeape!" Vincent's cry for Beheeyem to dodge came too late as Primeape reeled back both fists, aura turning inky black before both fists came together and crashed into either side of the smaller Pokémon's head with a resounded _whoosh_ and flash of black light that blew back the dirt cloud.

When the dust finally settled and the vision cleared and the stadium could finally see what had happened whilst they were blind, they saw Beheeyem lying flat on its back, green eyes flickering and Primeape standing over it – ready to fall but still standing despite it all.

"Beheeyem is unable to battle!" The referee announced as he threw up a hand. "Ash Ketchum secures the second knockout and is award a bonus third point as the match concludes. Our next match will be Oliver Loweshore versus Katie Belford."

"That was too close." Ash sighed as he dropped onto his rear, relief the dominant feeling at that moment. But Primeape came bounding up to him with pride, snatching his new hat and dawning it before striking a pose for the crowd who took to chanting the Pokémon's name, just like they had with Torterra.

Unlike the more reserved Continent Pokémon, Primeape was enjoying the attention and soaking in every second of it. Then again, for all the Pig Monkey Pokémon's bravado, it looked like a gentle breeze would knock it out after taking that Psychic head on. Ash _really_ had lucked out on that one. Better to be lucky than sitting at just one point, he told himself.

"You really spent too much time with Anthony." Ash joked, but unlike the old days, he made no effort to snatch his hat back and instead stood up, navigating the haphazard field so he could meet and shake hands with Vincent. "That was close, Vincent."

"Next time," The other trainer nodded with a wide grin, not the least bit put out over the defeat, "because you can bet your last buck there will be one."

"I'm looking forward to it." The two shook hands, heading back to the same side of the field as Leroy mentioned swapping out the field for the next match between Katie and Oliver who now stood at the ready. It took a moment, but Ash retrieved his hat and recalled Primeape, dropping down on the bench next to Vincent to discuss their match in more detail.

As the next match began he chanced a quick glance over his shoulder to find his friends and mother. They all waved to him briefly and his mother cheered but it was Serena who caught his eyes with a bashful smile and victory-v and Ash felt unstoppable for a moment as he nodded back at her with a smile of confidence. Any nerves he'd had were long gone, he knew now he belonged here and deserved to compete for a chance to beat the best.

With his family behind him, Ash knew that nothing could stop him today. Bring on Quinn Harper and the second round.


End file.
